Texas border: DPS response to inhumane handling of migrants, kids

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HOUSTON — Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for an investigation into Operation Lone Star.

The demands come following a shocking report about the Texas Department of Public Safety's treatment of people attempting to cross the border illegally.

The Texas Inspector General is now calling for an investigation into the allegations while some state lawmakers call for criminal charges.

"Push kids back into the water, putting razor wire around buoys to create drowning devices...it is shameful and it has to stop," Rep. Greg Casar.

Emails released by DPS late Monday night detailed the need to review safety measures after reports that migrants were hurt by razor wire. The emails were released after a report by the Houston Chronicle that revealed details about the "inhumane" treatment of people attempting to cross the border.

Troopers at the border were told to push children into the river to go back to Mexico and ordered to deny them drinking water, according to the report. The newspaper also claimed to have obtained an email from a trooper medic to a supervisor that expressed concerns about how they were treating people.

DPS Communications Chief Travis Considine responded to the report on Twitter saying, "Troopers give migrants water. They treat their wounds. They save them from drowning. They also do everything possible to deter them from risking their lives in the first place."

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Considine also shared screenshots of an email with DPS Director Steven McCraw that was sent to his chain of command calling for a comprehensive review of procedures from a medical perspective. In the email, McCraw wrote, "The smugglers care not if the migrants are injured, but we do, and we must take all necessary measures to mitigate the risk to them."

The report escalated tensions between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government over border security measures being implemented by the state. On Tuesday, Abbott's office sent a statement contradicting the report.

"No orders or directions have been given under Operation Lone Star that would compromise the lives of those attempting to cross the border illegally," it said.

Texas Congressional Democrats are speaking out about the alleged incidents, too.

"Pushing kids back into the water, putting razor wire around buoys to create drowning devices," Rep. Greg Casar said.

Other organizations are also speaking out about it.

"Are they really trying to make it safer or are they trying to make it more unsafe for people to cross?" FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa said.

Espinosa is an immigrant rights activist and said the email in question is a troubling situation among Texas leaders.

"It really sickens me to hear a trooper saying they’re putting kids back in the river ... they’re denying them water ... a little girl was passed out with her pregnant mom," he said.

Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez called for a Justice Department investigation for violation of United States laws. The Texas Inspector General is already investigating the allegations.

Here's Abbott's full statement:

“Texas is deploying every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings between ports of entry as President Biden’s dangerous open border policies entice migrants from over 150 countries to risk their lives entering the country illegally. The absence of razor wire and other deterrence strategies encourages migrants to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry, while making the job of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers more dangerous and difficult. President Biden has unleashed a chaos on the border that’s unsustainable, and we have a constitutional duty to respond to this unprecedented crisis.”

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