Exclusive: Biden administration demands Texas immediately stop blocking Border Patrol access

CNN —

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.

“Texas’s failure to provide access to the border persists even in instances of imminent danger to life and safety,” the letter from DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer reads. “Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities.”

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