Three migrants, a woman and two children, drowned Saturday in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas – very recently the epicenter of the migrant crisis – just days after state authorities blocked the US Border Patrol from accessing miles of the US-Mexico border, according to a post on X by Rep. Henry Cuellar.

“This is a tragedy, and the State bears responsibility,” Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas, said on X, formally known as Twitter.

The congressman said Border Patrol learned a group of six migrants were in distress in the Rio Grande at about 9 p.m. on Friday.

Border Patrol called the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety but “were unsuccessful” at relaying the information by phone, Cuellar said in the social media post. Federal agents then went to the gate at Shelby Park, set up by Texas authorities, to provide the information, Cuellar said.

“However, Texas Military Department soldiers stated they would not grant access to the migrants – even in the event of an emergency – and that they would send a soldier to investigate the situation,” Cuellar said on X.

    • yeather@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/seeking-protection-how-us-asylum-process-works

      To be an asylum seeker in the United States you must apply for asylum at one of 328 official ports of entry or from within the country already. Unless rainfall has been really bad there is no legal port of entry underwater. This person is therefore an illegal immigrant breaking the law, not an asylum seeker following the laws of the country they wish to integrate into.

      https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/can-safe-third-country-agreements-resolve-asylum-crisis

      In addition, many are denied for breaking another asylum seeking rule. You must seek asylum in the closest safe country. In most cases for immigrants like the woman and childrent that is Brazil, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, and El Salvador. Any “asylum seeker” going through safe countries to reach the US is breaking the law and is not a real asylum seeker. The US border patrol has no obligation to save people illegally entering the country through unsafe routes, endangering Americans.

      Womp womp, unless they’re cuban or similar island nation they have a closer safe country. They aren’t asylum seekers they illegal immigrants attempting to thwart the laws of the very country they want into. Illegal immigrants have neither my sympathy nor my support, border patrol should make no attempt to help them break into the country, especially if they are across the border in Mexico.

      • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        “Or from within the country already”

        This involves coming in the country illegally and then having that be retroactively legal when they declare Asylum status, that is how it works in our and every other country that observes international law.

        The “safe” country exemption is preposterous and arguably illegal under international law too, there’s a reason even people from so called “safe” countries like Mexico flee to the US.

        • yeather@lemmy.ca
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          6 months ago

          You can enter the country legally and then apply for asylum status. That right is available at any legal border crossing into the United States. Also, reread the original news article and you’ll see the woman was not in the US yet but was actively attempting to break the law. US border patrol has no obligation to help someone in Mexico break into the US.

          On your second point, are these international laws the United States has signed and agreed to? Similar to how the ICJ works, the US has no legal obligation to follow “international law” that it didnt agree to.