Two pregnant migrant women who were trying to turn themselves in to US immigration authorities have alleged that Texas national guard soldiers refused to provide them with water.
Speaking to CNN at a shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas, the two women, identified as Carmen from Honduras and María from El Salvador, recounted their experiences at the border amid recent reports of “inhumane” behavior by American border authorities.
“They told us it was a crime to cross into the US and that we should return to Mexico,” Carmen, who said she is six months pregnant, told CNN. She added that she and her husband had initially tried to cross the Rio Grande on 12 July but were stopped by Texas national guard soldiers.
“They told us that they couldn’t give us water because it was not their responsibility,” Carmen told CNN after she tried asking for water.
“They asked us why we had left our countries,” she continued, saying that she asked for water again at around 2pm. “I felt I was suffocating,” said Carmen, who added that she entered the Rio Grande to cool herself down.
“They showed us handcuffs and they told us they would arrest us,” she said, referring to the soldiers.
Carmen went on to tell CNN that she was refused water several more times on 12 July and that she and her husband eventually spent the night on the Rio Grande riverbank.
“I didn’t really sleep … I was scared,” Carmen said, adding that she saw snakes nearby.
According to CNN, Carmen was eventually seen by a paramedic, who she said told her: “I don’t know why they treated you badly when all you want is a better life.” US immigration authorities later took Carmen and her husband for processing, CNN reports.
On Wednesday, speaking to CNN, a justice department spokesperson, Xochitl Hinojosa, said: “The department is aware of the troubling reports, and we are working with DHS and other relevant agencies to assess the situation.”
Earlier this week, the Houston Chronicle reported email exchanges between a Texas state trooper and a superior over the alleged mistreatment of migrants attempting to cross the border.
The emails alleged that officers working along the border have been ordered to push small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande, and have also been told to not give water to migrants, despite scorching temperatures which have enveloped Texas in oppressive heatwaves.
“Due to the extreme heat, the order to not give people water needs to be immediately reversed as well,” the trooper wrote, adding, “I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane.”
A statement released by the office of Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, on Tuesday contested the allegations, saying: “No orders or directions have been given under Operation Lone Star that would compromise the lives of those attempting to cross the border illegally.
“All personnel assigned to Operation Lone Star are prepared to detect and respond to any individuals who may need water or medical attention. Operation Lone Star agency partners use verbal warnings and signage to direct migrants attempting to illegally cross from Mexico into Texas to use ports of entry to protect the lives of migrants, DPS troopers, and Texas national guard soldiers.”
