
The drowning deaths of a woman and two children from Mexico near the US-Mexico border have magnified the rift between Texas and federal officials over who has jurisdiction in that part of the Rio Grande area and how to grapple with the migrant crisis.
The tragedy happened days after state authorities blocked the US Border Patrol from accessing miles of the US-Mexico border near Eagle Pass, Texas, which was recently the epicenter of the migrant crisis, officials said. But whether a lack of access may have played a role in the deaths is in dispute.
On Monday, authorities with Mexico’s National Institute of Migration identified the deceased as Victerma de la Sancha Cerros, 33; Yorlei Rubi, 10; and Jonathan Agustín Briones de la Sancha, 8.