Texas trooper says they were told to push children into Rio Grande and deny migrants water

Texas state troopers watch as migrants cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, on 10 July 2023. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP

Texas troopers employed by Greg Abbott’s border patrol initiative were instructed to push children into the Rio Grande and deny migrants water in extreme heat, according to emails sent by a state employee.

Nicholas Wingate, a trooper-medic from the state’s department of public safety expressed concern over “inhumane” actions towards migrants in a 3 July email to supervisors and reveals other unreported incidents involving migrants, the Houston Chronicle first reported.