Texas lawmaker says more DPS troopers expressed concerns about alleged mistreatment of migrants
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — State Representative Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Dallas) told CBS News Texas Friday that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) told her and other lawmakers that more troopers stationed along the southern border have expressed concerns about the treatment of migrants.
She and six other Democratic state lawmakers met with DPS Director Steve McCraw and others officials at the agency's Weslaco regional headquarters Tuesday.
Some of the lawmakers are members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
Ramos said DPS told them a total of five troopers have come forward. "They kept referencing that these individuals were brave for coming forward, that they commended them for coming forward, and they were glad that they were speaking. They indicated many times that if there are individuals who are taking it upon themselves to do anything harmful to the migrants that they need to be addressed."
While two others in the meeting confirmed this, a spokesman for Texas DPS in Austin said he couldn't comment on the ongoing investigation by the Office of Inspector General.
Last week, the allegations by a single trooper made national headlines after he complained that superiors had told officers not to give migrants water and to push them back into the Rio Grande.
However, DPS said there is no directive telling troopers to do that.
Ramos said the lawmakers asked about this during their meeting.
"When you tell somebody to push? It's a physical action. And he said, 'No, no, when we say it, we just meant verbally pushing back.' And so, at that point, some individuals chuckled. And that to me was, there's more questions here. To me that was very curious, and something that I think, I hope that we do further investigating on."
DPS Lieutenant Christopher Olivarez confirmed that the term "push back" is a verbal command and not meant to physically push migrants back with force.
Ramos said DPS said their policy requires troopers to help migrants who need medical attention. "That's exactly what they told us: that the individuals are required to render aid, and if they don't, they will be suspended for about three days for not rendering aid."
CBS News Texas asked a DPS spokesman in Austin to confirm its policy that troopers could be suspended if they don't render aid to migrants. They have yet to give a response as of Friday evening.
Ramos said McCraw told them he wasn't sure where the allegation of denying migrants water came from. But she also said that DPS told them troopers are told to hold the line to keep migrants from entering Texas and are given discretion.
For the past week, DPS has tweeted videos of troopers helping migrants.
State Representative Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth), who went to the border on a separate trip last week told CBS News Texas that he observed troopers helping migrants.
He said an infant received medical attention after her mother crossed the Rio Grande. "The medical person and the child were put in an air boat and taken upriver to a landing place where the ambulance could be. The mother, and I'm assuming it was the mother, was placed in a DPS vehicle and driven to that same place where she was reunited with her infant."
Geren said he also saw troopers telling two men who crossed the Rio Grande that they couldn't enter there and directed them to the Port of Entry.
He said he had not heard of other troopers coming forward to express concerns about the alleged mistreatment of migrants.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit against Texas in an effort to stop the use of a thousand-foot-long buoy barrier placed in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass.
Geren said he requested the border tour earlier in the month so he could see the buoys.
When asked about the lawsuit, he said, "The lawsuit doesn't disturb me because I think it'll give the chance for Texas to go in front of the courts and say why the federal government should be paying for this or actually doing it. We've not had that opportunity before."
He continued to say that if there are legislative hearings held on the matter, DPS should not be concerned. "They have nothing to fear from that. I think they have a good story to tell."