southern border, a dispute between Texas state# and U.S. federal officials has intensified.
Laura Barron-Lopez has more.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The children and a woman# drow Texas, at a section of the border recently# seized by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Texas officials physically barred federal# Border Patrol agents from entering Shelby Park,## where they tried to respond to a distress call,## according to the Homeland Security# Depa said the migrants had already drowned by the# time Border Patrol agents requested access calling claims that agents were stopped from# saving the migrants' lives wholly inaccurate.
Joining me to discuss is Democratic# Congressman Henry Cuellar,## who represents a nearby Texas border district.
Congressman Cuellar, thank you# for joining the "NewsHour."
I should note that your colleague# Republican declined an invitation for an interview# tonight.
But your district neighbors hi What have you heard from state and federal# officials about the deaths of these migrants?
REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): Look, if# the state would have not taken the## action that they did last week, and# that is bar and Patrol agents and remove equipment,# like the scope truck that they had.
The scope truck is a very key element# that they use.
That's to make sure that## they survey the border, the river.# And I think that scope truck would## have played a very important role# when they got this distress call.
Now, because of the state's action, the governor's# action, what's happening now?
The state is now defending and deflecting on what happened.
And# if they would have just allowed them to do -- the## Border Patrol to do its work, we would not be# talking about this story, except maybe a mother## and an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy# would have drowned, as other ones have drowned.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Homeland Security is# now threatening legal action if they -- if## Border Patrol is not granted access# to this Shelby Park in Eagle Pass.
But I wanted to get your reaction# from -- on Governor Greg Abbott,## his tweet last night.
Texas Governor Greg# Abbott pushed back on what you accounted## as the incident.
And he blamed# President Biden for the drowning,## specifically saying: "The fact is, the deaths# are because of Biden's open border magnet."
What's your response to Governor Abbott?
REP. HENRY CUELLAR: We hea situation, and then we saw that something else# happened, contrary to what the state had said.
We're seeing the same thing here.# We would not be here if the governor## were -- not given that instruction last# week to kick out Border Patrol agents,## remove their equipment to monitor the river.# We would not even be here talking about that.## But he's doing everything, what I call# the Lone Ranger, the Lone Ranger tactic.
That is, instead of communicating, coordinating# with the Border Patrol, he's kicking out the## very agency that's empowered under federal# law to stop illegal migration, to provide## humanitarian relief, like in this particular# situation.
And here we are.
Here we are.
We would not be talking about this if the# governor were not taking this action.
Now,## I feel bad for the men and women, the Guard that# are there, because, if you look at it, they really## have two bosses.
They have the governor and# they have the president.
The president can## come in and federalize the Guard, and I don't# know if the president's going to do that.
But we're now playing a standoff game,## when we should be working# together with the state of Texas.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: You're talking about National# Guard troops stationed the Migrant crossings surged in December, Congressman,## and then they recently dropped again# just this month, specifically in Eagle## Pass.
And you're sometimes at odds with# your own party on immigration.
Is there## more that you think President Biden could be# doing to mitigate crossings at the border?
REP. HENRY CUELLAR: Yes, I mean, absolutely.
Look, you know me.
I have been able to talk# an d they need to get this pull factor# out of the way.
The reasons the numbers## have gone down is not because of the# governor's actions.
It's not because## we added border wall or the buoys.# What happened, it's very simple.
The Mexicans started doing their job in the# southern part, and it's always -- there's alway a correlation.
If the Mexico does its job and they# slow down numbers, then, instead of having 10,000,## 12,000 people a day, we now have 2,800, 3,100# people a day.
And that's what's happening.
It's a combination of things, but# we got to take this pull factor,## where people think they can take a very# dangerous trek and come to the border and## ask for asylum.
And the bottom line is this.
The# bottom line is this.
It's -- to the migrants also,## the migrants need to realize they# cannot take this dangerous route.
When you put your kids in# a very dangerous situation## like this mother did -- and I# understand people get desper but you cannot do this.
You can see people# die when they take t LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Congressman, Senate# negotiators are still working on a potential## border deal.
It would potentially be attached# to funding for Israel and in clude more money for Border Patrol, as well# as significantly possibly change asylum law.
If the Senate passes this, do you have# any hope that House GOP will take it up,## considering that leadership, Republican leadership# there, has said that they would likely reject it?
REP. HENRY CUELLAR: Yes, it's interesting.
I don't think they have read the text.
I# in communication what the Senate is doing.# I saw what the Republican leadership said,## including Speaker Johnson, where# they said that they would reject it,## and they're going to wait for# Trump to get elected as president.
Seriously?
If there's a crisis, you're going# to wait to see if a person get president?
If there's a crisis, we ought to# be voting on this.
And keep in mind that,## the last two years, we have added $2.4 billion.# That's a 15 percent increase.
Except for two## Republicans that are still there in the House,# every single Republican voted adding money,## the last two election -- the# last two appropriations bills.
And now they're saying, oh, this is not good# enough for us.
So either it's a crisis or## it's not a crisis, but you can't be against a# bill that they have not even personally seen.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Congresswoman Henry Cuellar# of Texas, thank you for your time tonight.
REP. HENRY CUELLAR: Thank you so much.
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