After Gov. Greg Abbott closed off a park on the Texas-Mexico border, a Democrat U.S. representative is blaming the state for the deaths of three illegal border crossers.
Last week, Abbott deployed the Texas National Guard to take over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, which is known to be a hotspot for illegal crossings.
Abbott seized control of the riverfront city property near the Eagle Pass International Bridge under the governor’s emergency powers, blocking off about 2.5 miles of the state’s 1,200-mile border with Mexico. The move also denied federal officials access to the illegal crossing point.
Shortly after Texas took over the riverfront, three individuals attempting to cross illegally into Texas drowned. Border patrol agents and Democrat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas accused the Texas Military Department of being responsible for their deaths because they had denied federal agents access to the area.
