In a private message earlier this month, a state trooper expressed concerns over procedures he considered cruel, saying that attempts by Texas authorities to prevent illegal crossings across the U.S.-Mexico border have put migrants, especially children, in danger of drowning or being wounded by a sharp wire.
The trooper further asserted that Texas officials had been given instructions to rob the migrants of water and force them to return to the Rio Grande.
The internal complaint, which state officials are currently looking into, raises more concerns regarding the way Texas officials are handling migrants who have been spread up in a massive border operation referred to as Operation Lone Star. Republican governor Greg Abbott claims that the operation is required for addressing the flexible immigration policies of the Biden administration.
To prevent migrant crossings across the Rio Grande, Abbott has ordered Texas state agencies and National Guardsmen to install razor wire and, lately, river buoys.