Texas governor says migrant family that was drowning was already dead

The Department of Homeland Security is demanding that Texas remove its razor wire and other efforts that are blocking U.S. Customs and Border Patrol from accessing the area. It became a serious problem when a family, including two children, were spotted drowning near the Texas border city of Eagle Pass.

Under normal circumstances, the Border Patrol would rescue the migrants. In this case, they were prevented from doing so.

Members of Congress and the media were quick to point fingers at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who ordered the wire that stopped agents from accessing the family.

“This is a tragedy, and the state bears responsibility,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) said in a statement Saturday.

On Sunday evening, Abbott hit back at his critics, blasting them for leaving out the fact that the family was already dead anyway.

"Turns out @RepCuellar (& some media) were so eager to point finger at Texas for drowning of migrants they forgot to get the facts. When [Border Patrol] requested access to river the drownings had already occurred & found in [Mexico]," Abbott posted on social media.

He went on to blame President Joe Biden for their deaths.

"Claims that TMD [Texas Military Department] prevented Border Patrol from saving the lives of drowning migrants are wholly inaccurate," the department said in a statement. "At the time that Border Patrol requested access, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies, and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site."