Texas Democrats are demanding the Biden administration investigate new allegations involving Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border enforcement program, Operation Lone Star. 

A state trooper-medic says the initiative is leading to the mistreatment of migrants crossing the Rio Grande into Texas and endangering their lives. While an internal investigation into the claims is underway, Texas leaders say there were no such directives given that would put those crossing the river at risk.

Razor wire and a buoy barrier are obstacles the state of Texas says were placed along the Rio Grande to deter migrant crossings. But in emails shared with Spectrum News, the trooper raised concerns to superior and wrote these strategies crossed a line and were “inhumane. “

“I'm shocked about how low Greg Abbott and his administration have sunk. This is barbaric action,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, told Spectrum News. “He needs to take these death traps out of the river.”  

The medic sent an email to a sergeant describing what he witnessed last month on patrol near the border city of Eagle Pass.

He described encountering a group of 120 people, including children and babies. He wrote, “We were given orders to push the people back into the water to go to Mexico. We decided that this was not the correct thing to do.”

​​The trooper also described situations where young migrants were getting caught in the wire in the river, including a 19-year-old pregnant woman and a 15-year-old who broke his leg trying to navigate around the wire. The trooper said there was also a 4-year-old who passed out from exhaustion after trying to cross the river. And it was suggested there was an order to deny migrants water.

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The trooper likened the wire and barrels in the river to traps, and wrote, “We need to recognize that these are people who are made in the image of God and need to be treated as such.”

The email was first published by the Houston Chronicle and confirmed by Spectrum News.

Castro said he brought this issue directly to the attention of Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a dinner with lawmakers Monday night.

“He said that they are taking it seriously, that they're reviewing it,” Castro said. “They're concerned about Texas’s actions, and they're concerned about a lack of respect for human rights based on this reporting.” 

DPS officials are adamant that there are no formal policies directing troopers to physically push migrants back into the river or to withhold water from them.

One spokesperson told Spectrum News that the trooper “may have misinterpreted” instructions but that he is entitled to his own opinions and the department is taking his concerns seriously. 

“At no point has any trooper been told to physically push any migrant back into the river, let alone a child. Just hearing some of those comments is outrageous,” Lt. Christopher Olivarez, a DPS spokesperson, said in an interview with Spectrum News.

“What we mean by pushing back, we're talking about messaging. We're talking about having a show of force, standing at the river telling migrants that it is closed. You can't cross here. You need to go to a port of entry and seek asylum where it's safe, where it's humane. That's the process. That's the objective for our operation,” Olivarez continued.

DPS’ Office of Inspector General is looking into the claims made in the email, but DPS officials said they do not foresee making changes soon. Olivarez added the barriers are visible across the river and that migrants are still crossing knowing the risks.

“If we don't keep the measures in place, we're going to see more people wanting to cross that river. If we leave all these gaps open, not secured, we’re going to see what took place in Del Rio in 2021 with the Haitians. We want to prevent any type of mass migration, and if you don't have any infrastructure or any consequences in place, all you're doing is encouraging more people to come across the river,” Olivarez said.

“We have to balance that, trying to deter that activity, but also at the same time monitoring the safety of these migrants as they cross the river with having boats in the water. And of course, at times we have to perform rescue operations, we have to perform some type of medical aid,” he continued.

Later in the afternoon, a group of Texas Democrats in Congress participated in a virtual press conference, condemning the state’s actions.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said it appeared that the state is not coordinating with the federal government.

“We need to have border security, but at the same time, we need to respect the rights and the dignity of the migrants,” he said.

Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, called the Department of Justice to investigate what she called “deliberate acts of torture.”

“It goes against everything that we have ever been taught as Texans, and it goes beyond politics and crosses the line into human rights violations. I would call on the United Nations to look at this,” she said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also responded Tuesday, saying that if the reports are true, it is “despicable” but not surprising coming from the Texas governor.

Meanwhile, Abbott blamed the Biden administration, saying its policies are encouraging migrants to risk their lives. 

“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,” said Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, in a statement.