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By Nick Mordowanec
Staff Writer
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A body was pulled out of the Rio Grande River along Texas' border with Mexico on Wednesday afternoon.
"Moments ago, we watched as Mexican authorities pulled a lifeless body out of the [Rio Grande] river—a deadly reminder of the dangers that migrants face in this migrant crisis trying to get to the U.S." Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins told America's Newsroom on Wednesday.
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The Context
Details surrounding the individual in question remain unknown.
Newsweek has reached out via email to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Department of Public Safety for more information.
Migrant encounters at the southern border have exceeded 7,000 each day for the past five days, Jenkins added, with the 35,000 or so encounters outnumbering the population of Eagle Pass, Texas.
What We Know
Eagle Pass has become an epicenter of the national immigration debate, visited by Republican presidential front-runner and former President Donald Trump last week as part of Republicans' continued focus on illegal immigration.
Texas border crossings experienced a large dip in January, the most recent monthly data released by CBP, totaling 68,260 encounters in comparison to the 149,806 migrants who attempted to enter the country through Mexico in December. Encounters in Texas totaled 119,628 and 111,129, respectively, in October and November.
Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the beginning of construction on an 80-acre military base camp that will extend along the Rio Grande and six miles south to Shelby Park, housing about 1,800 National Guard soldiers for better proximity to deal with what has been dubbed by most conservatives as a crisis.
The governor was widely criticized by Democrats last June when wrecking ball-sized buoys composing a floating barrier in the Rio Grande were found to have circular saws between them.
The buoys reportedly led to the death of two migrants around that same time, according to Mexican authorities who recovered two bodies from the river, including one that was caught in the floating barrier.
Views
The Texas DPS on Wednesday afternoon touted Operation Lone Star, saying on X, formerly Twitter, that since the critical border security mission in March 2021, "the multi-agency effort has led to results that are protecting Texas communities."
They reported 502,000 apprehensions, 40,100 criminal arrests, 35,900 felony charges and 468 million lethal doses of fentanyl seized.
What's Next?
Abbott, who has legally gone back and forth with the Biden administration with some cases being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, vows to continue to protect his state's right to defend itself from illegal immigrants.
Last Thursday, the same day that Trump was in Eagle Pass and President Joe Biden was in Brownsville, Texas, a judge blocked the state's new deportation law that would have taken effect on March 5.
The lawsuit, filed by civil rights groups, the Department of Justice and the city of El Paso, argued that Texas' Senate Bill 4 unlawfully would permit local and state law enforcement to arrest, detain and remove individuals suspected of entering the state illegally from other countries.
Abbott has vowed to appeal, potentially setting up a Supreme Court case.
Update 3/6/24, 2:25 p.m. ET: This story was updated with more information.
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