A group of elected Democrats in Congress traveled to Eagle Pass, on the border between Texas and Mexico to see and publicize the floating barrier system in these waters of the Rio Grande. This system is supposed to prevent migrants from crossing the border.
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With our correspondent in Houston, Thomas Harms
In the middle of the Rio Grande, a row of orange buoys floats. Between each of them, a sharp circular saw blade prevents snagging without injury. “ The Texas Government and Greg Abott Really Treat People Like Animalsexclaims Joaquin Castro, representative of San Antonio in Congress in Washington. It is extremely dangerous and incredibly inhumane. That’s why I say it’s barbaric, because it is. “. Last week, a lifeless body was detached from these buoys. The person would have drowned and his body would have drifted and become attached to the buoys.
Appealed by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border. The situation’s reality is unsettling as these buoys’ true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW! pic.twitter.com/XPc4C8Tnl0
— Rep. Sylvia Garcia (@RepSylviaGarcia) August 8, 2023
The Texas Governor’s National Guardsmen also barred Eagle Pass’s main city park, Shelby Park. “ It is a park where migrants used to find rests, says Sylvia Garcia, an elected official from Houston. But the guards of Operation Lone Star [une opération anti-immigration du Texas en place de 2021, ndlr] put all kinds of iron wires. They dismantled a public park where families here used to go. »
A costly operation
In July, 87 elected Democrats in the House of Representatives unsuccessfully called on President Joe Biden to intervene to stop Operation Lone Star. In total, according to the Texas authorities, 390,500 asylum seekers have been handed over to border guards over the past two years and 30,000 arrested for violation of private property, 500 in July alone. Which costs, 2.5 million dollars per week in Texas and 9.5 billion over 2 years.
For their part, 15 elected Republicans from Texas are threatening to block funding for border guards if Congress does not reimburse Texas for the $9.5 billion from Operation Lone Star. They are also calling for the cessation of the lawsuits initiated by the Biden administration against the barrier of buoys placed on the Rio Grande.
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