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.

  • 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.