Dying for the American Dream
On Saturday afternoon, Congressman Henry Cuellar, whose district is just south of Eagle Pass, was among the Brst to reveal what had happened.
“Border Patrol learned on Friday, January 12, 2024, at approximately 9:00 P.M. that a group of six migrants were in distress as they attempted to cross the Rio Grande River. Border Patrol attempted to contact the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard, and DPS Command Post by telephone to relay the information, but were unsuccessful,” Cuellar posted on the social media platform X. “Patrol agents then made physical contact with the Texas Military Department and the Texas National Guard at the Shelly Park Entrance Gate and verbally relayed the information. 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. Earlier today, Saturday, January 13, 2024, the three
migrant bodies were recovered by Mexican authorities.”
The Mexican government has identibed the victims as Victerma de la Sancha Cerros, 33; Yorlei Rubi, 10; and Jonathan Agustín Briones de la Sancha, 8. Two other family members survived, thanks to the efforts of a Mexican rescue team.
Texas’ handling of the situation drew quick condemnation from the White House, which has been locked in a legal battle with Abbott for several months as the Texas governor continues to interfere with the work of federal border agents in what many see as a political stunt which, once again, has yielded deadly consequences. Two migrants died last August not far from the scene of last week’s tragedy, one man’s lifeless body entangled in a oating barrier Abbott erected over the protestations of the Biden administration.
“Three individuals drowned,” the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security wrote Sunday in a scathing letter to Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton. “Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities.”
Domingo Garcia is president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization. Garcia sent a letter to Jaime Esparza, the U.S. Attorney in San Antonio, asking for the FBI and the Department of Justice to formally investigate deaths and Abbott’s role in the increasingly dangerous situation at the border.
“It is incumbent upon all levels of government to protect individuals within their jurisdiction, and when actions or policies directly contravene this duty, it is imperative that they be held accountable,” Garcia wrote.
Abbott insists that the woman and her children had “already drowned” by the time customs agents were denied access to the area, although he has provided no evidence to support this timeline. Few were surprised by the Texas governor’s lack of empathy for the victims, especially in light of statements he made during an interview last week, in which Abbott lamented not being able to shoot migrants attempting to cross the border, “because the Biden Administration would charge us with murder.”
Speaking to Axios on Sunday, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said, “While we continue to gather facts about the circumstances of these tragic deaths, one thing is clear: Governor Abbott's political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous.” (La Semana)