US says Texas guard blocked bid to rescue migrants crossing river

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Sunday denounced what it said was “dangerous” obstruction by Texas authorities, after three migrants drowned while attempting to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico.

“On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials blocked US Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance,” said a statement from White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez.

It continued: “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. US Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws.”

The Biden administration has been locked in a legal struggle with Republican Governor Greg Abbott, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and a fierce critic of the administration´s migration policies.

The US Justice Department has accused the governor of blocking federal agents from carrying out their traditional duties in policing a key section of the border, while the governor says the federal government has failed in its responsibility to stem a record influx of migrants.

Abbott has supported tough border measures including the installation of barbed wire along the border and floating obstacles in the Rio Grande.

Henry Cuellar, a Democratic member of the US Congress from Texas, on Saturday also accused the state´s National Guard -- which this week took exclusive control over a key border sector -- of refusing to “grant access to Border Patrol agents to save the migrants” in the incident on Friday.