Feds launch probe into string of migrant drownings near Eagle Pass

At least 13 migrants have recently drowned near Eagle Pass while trying to cross the Rio Grande.

click to enlarge Razor wire deployed under Operation Lone Star is strung along. the Rio Grande River. - Michael Karlis
Michael Karlis
Razor wire deployed under Operation Lone Star is strung along. the Rio Grande River.
In yet another potential legal snag for Gov. Greg Abbott’s border crackdown, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is investigating a recent string if migrant drownings near Eagle Pass, an agency source told the Houston Chronicle.

It remains unclear precisely what prompted the probe, according to the Chronicle report. However, three migrants — a 21-year-old female, 19-year-old male and an unidentified individual — washed ashore in Eagle Pass after trying to cross the Rio Grande on Saturday.

In the past week, another 10 migrants have drowned near Eagle Pass while trying to cross the river, which is unusually high due to recent rains, the Chronicle reports.

Abbott’s press office was unavailable for immediate comment on the federal investigation.

CBP's inquiry is just the latest legal headache for Abbott’s $4.5 billion border crackdown, Operation Lone Star.

Abbott and the feds have been engaged in a back-and-forth court battle over a floating buoy barrier deployed this summer near Eagle Pass. Last month, the governor sued the Biden Administration, alleging CBP agents were cutting razor wire deployed along the banks of the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star.

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Michael Karlis

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine and Mexico Travel Today. He reports primarily on breaking news, politics...

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