Biden administration demands Texas immediately stop blocking Border Patrol access

 The Biden administration demanded Sunday that Texas immediately stop its efforts blocking US Border Patrol’s access along a portion of the US-Mexico border, where late Friday a woman and two children drowned after agents were barred from the area by state officials, according to a Department of Homeland Security letter exclusively obtained by CNN.

The letter, directed to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, states that Texas’ actions “have impeded operations” and are unconstitutional. It also cites the incident on Friday when Border Patrol contacted Texas officials after learning of a group of migrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande and requested access to the border but were denied. Three people died.

The Texas Military Department denied the account over the weekend, saying in a statement that its security personnel didn’t observe any distressed migrants. CNN has reached out to Paxton’s office for comment on the letter.

Tensions between Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and President Joe Biden have been escalating over the situation along the US southern border, culminating last week in the state blocking federal law enforcement from accessing a portion of the US-Mexico border in an extraordinary move. The federal government has the sole authority to enforce immigration law.

A combination of Texas National Guard soldiers, equipment and physical barriers has restricted Border Patrol from approximately 2.5 miles of the US-Mexico border, according to the letter. The Shelby Park area is located near Eagle Pass, Texas, which has seen a high number of border crossings...more