President Joe Biden’s administration has been fact-checked after claiming Saturday that Texas prevented Border Patrol officials from rescuing three illegal immigrants who drowned during an illegal crossing attempt of the southern border.
A spokesperson for Biden’s Department of Homeland Security told CNN, “In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the area. The Texas governor’s policies are cruel, dangerous, and inhumane, and Texas’s blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks.”
However, while the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Texas officials prevented Border Patrol agents from rescuing the three illegal immigrants, a filing by the Department of Justice appears to contradict the Biden administration’s claims.
Bill Melugin, a Fox News reporter, shared pictures on social media of the Department of Justice’s filing, which states, “On January 12, 2024, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Mexican officials advised Border Patrol of two migrants in distress on the U.S. side of the river in the area near the Shelby Park boat ramp… Mexican officials also informed Border Patrol that three migrants-one woman and two children-had drowned at approximately 8:00 p.m. in the same area.”
The Fox News reporter blasted the Biden administration for promoting a “false narrative” regarding the southern border.
“This, like the horseback patrol ‘whipping’ claims – took off as a false narrative, generating headlines that claimed Texas blocked a federal rescue effort, leading to the drownings of three migrants,” Melguin tweeted. “The DOJ now confirms, those migrants had been deceased for an hour before Texas was even alerted about it.”
In addition to the Justice Department’s filing, the Texas Military Department issued a statement addressing the reports in the media of the illegal immigrant drowning incident. The Texas Military Department explained that it was notified at roughly 9 p.m. by Border Patrol regarding the illegal immigrant “distress situation.”
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“At no time did TMD security personnel along the river observe any distressed migrants, nor did TMD turn back any illegal immigrants from the US during this period,” the Texas Military Department stated. “Also, at no point was TMD made aware of any bodies in the area of Shelby Park, nor was TMD made aware of any bodies being discovered on the U.S. side of the border regarding this situation.”
