Two bodies have been found in the Rio Grande River—one of which was “stuck in the southern part of the buoys” being used by Texas as a border—since Wednesday, the Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced just days after the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Texas for its use of the barrier.
A general drone view of the buoy barriers installed and situated in the middle of the Rio Grande ... [+]
The cause of death and the nationality of the person found in the buoys was unknown at the time Mexico announced it Wednesday afternoon, and both people remained unidentified as of Thursday.
In its announcement of the second body recovered in the river, Mexico reiterated its stance that the installation of the wire buoys violates its sovereignty and “has an impact on the security, integrity and human rights of migrants,” adding it doesn't correspond to “the close relationship” between the U.S. and Mexico.
Mexico Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena told the Dallas Morning News it was unclear if the two people were connected.
Forbes has reached out to the Texas Department of Safety for comment.
Former Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke tweeted Thursday morning that “Abbott is killing people,” asking “Who is going to stop him?” O’Rourke has been critical of the buoys along the border recently, posting a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying “what’s happening at the border right now is absolutely sickening,” mentioning children being pushed back into the water by DPS officers and people getting “entangled in the razor wire” that Abbott also put in the river.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced the installation of the buoys in June, saying the state would deploy 1,000 feet of buoys in the Rio Grande River along Texas’ southern border as a way to deter migrants from crossing illegally. Abbott has been openly critical of the Biden Administration’s handling of immigration issues and framed the buoy border as Texas taking the issue into its own hands. However, Abbott received pushback on the border—which consists of large, four-foot in diameter orange balls strung with blades between each—from the Mexican government, Democratic representatives in Texas who called the border a “dangerous stunt that prioritizes political posturing over the safety and well-being of both Texans and migrants,” and the federal government. In late July, the DOJ sued Abbott for violating federal law and ignoring the government’s requests to have the buoys inspected.