White House condemns Gov. Greg Abbott for installing border barriers in Rio Grande
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemns Gov. Greg Abbott for installing border barriers in Rio Grande
A "lifeless person" has been found stuck in the floating barrier set up by Texas along the U.S-Mexico border, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The agency said authorities from the Texas Department of Public Safety contacted the Mexican consulate in Eagle Pass, Texas, around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to notify them of the discovery in the floating barrier along the Rio Grande.
"We reiterate the position of the Government of Mexico that the placement of wire buoys by the Texas authorities is a violation of our sovereignty," the Ministry said in a statement. "We express our concern about the impact on the human rights and personal safety of migrants that these state policies will have, which run counter to the close collaboration between our country and the federal government of the United States."
The Ministry said the cause of death and the person’s nationality are unknown and that its immigration authorities are working to retrieve the body.
TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT DEFENDS DECISION TO BUILDING FLOATING BORDER WALL AMID IMMIGRATION CRISIS
Migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico walk along large buoys being used as a floating border barrier on the Rio Grande on Tuesday, Aug. 1, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to follow up on the case promptly through the Mexican Consulate in Eagle Pass, maintaining contact with the corresponding authorities in Mexico and the United States to obtain more information on what happened and to request that the necessary investigations be carried out," it also said.
A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson told Fox News that the body they found was someone who drowned upriver and then floated with the current into the buoys.
The discovery comes around a week after the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas for installing the barrier.
In the lawsuit, the Justice Department claimed the barrier obstructs "the navigable capacity of waters of the United States." The department noted that Texas officials installed the barrier without permission from the federal government.
Last Wednesday, the Justice Department also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against Texas, seeking to have the river barriers removed within 10 days at the Lone Star state’s expense.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES INJUNCTION AGAINST TEXAS OVER FLOATING BORDER BARRIER IN RIO GRANDE
Migrants approach a site where workers were assembling large buoys used as a border barrier along the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
If granted, the injunction would prevent Texas officials from adding any additional structures onto the Rio Grande without permission from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The Army would also coordinate with the state to remove the barrier within 10 days.
Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze told Fox News Digital that the governor's team is fighting the Justice Department's legal filings.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, earlier this year, announcing the deployment of the inflatable barrier along the Rio Grande. (Gov. Greg Abbott's Office)
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During a speech in Georgetown, Texas, on Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott spoke about his administration's response to the influx of migrants entering the state illegally through the U.S.-Mexico border.
"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.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Landon Mion, Andrea Vacchiano, Bill Mears and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
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