Two people were found dead in the buoy barrier recently installed on the Rio Grande to deter illegal immigrants, according to multiple reports.
According to ABC News, one of the bodies was found stuck in the lines of the orange buoys. A second body was found in the area of buoys.
The Dallas Morning News reported that a child from Honduras was one of the bodies that was discovered. In response, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a news conference that the border is “inhumane and no person should be treated like this.”
A spokesperson for GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in response that the Mexican government is “flat-out wrong” and that the child’s death occurred miles upstream away from the buoys.
“Unfortunately, drownings in the Rio Grande by people attempting to cross illegally are all too common,” a statement from Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said.
Steven McCraw, Texas DPS director, said in a statement: “Preliminary information suggests this individual drowned upstream from the marine barrier and floated into the buoys.”
“There are personnel posted at the marine barrier at all times in case any migrants try to cross,” McGraw added.
In a press release, Mexico’s foreign ministry claims that the chained buoy barrier is “a violation of our sovereignty.”
Last month, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that it would begin installing a new floating barrier on the Rio Grande to stop illegal immigrants from trying to cross into the United States.
The buoys have arrived and the installation of the marine barrier on the Rio Grande begins today. #OperationLoneStar pic.twitter.com/43VEM1tfLu
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) July 7, 2023
New marine barrier installation on the Rio Grande begins today.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2023
Texas DPS is overseeing the project in Eagle Pass.
More to come. pic.twitter.com/nHrTqUG7Fi
McCraw said at a press conference last month that “anytime they [illegal immigrants] get in that water [Rio Grande], it’s a risk to the migrants. This is the deterrent from even coming in the water.”
Late last month, Abbott defended his decision to create a floating border barrier. This came after President Joe Biden’s Justice Department announced a lawsuit against Texas over the floating border wall.
"I will do whatever I have to do to defend our state from the invasion of the Mexican drug cartels and others who have tried to come into our country illegally, and I will protect our sovereignty," Abbott said in his remarks to the state’s Republican county chairs, according to Fox 7 Austin.
"It's called operation hold the line," he added. "They are holding the line and ensuring that nobody enters the state of Texas illegally."
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