this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
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This incident marks another friction point between Mexico and Texas due to Governor Abbott's anti-immigrant policies.

On Thursday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) accused the Texas National Guard of violating international law by shooting a Mexican man in the Rio Grande, the river shared by Mexico and the United States.

"It's a violation of international law because you can't shoot from the U.S. side to the other side of the river, which is already our territory," he said.

The Mexican president referred to an incident that took place on Saturday on the bank of the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez, bordering the U.S. city of El Paso, where a National Guard member fired from U.S. territory into Mexico.

While it was initially mentioned that the victim was a migrant, local authorities identified the victim as Darwin Garcia, a 37-year-old man from Veracruz, who was on a dirt path used by runners and cyclists for exercise over 10 meters from the riverbed.

"Texas authorities argue that it was in defense of a migrant, that the injured person wanted to harm a migrant, and that's why he fired into the air and then at the person," said AMLO, announcing that the Mexican government has initiated an investigation into this incident.

On Wednesday, officials from the Mexican Consulate in El Paso met with representatives of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), expressing that the incident is "unacceptable" and voicing their concern about the impact on human rights and migrant safety.

"The injured person in Ciudad Juarez was fortunately discharged yesterday. However, there is an ongoing investigation, and the person who fired from the Texas Guard has been temporarily suspended from duty pending a full investigation," AMLO stated.

This incident marks another friction point between Mexico and Texas due to Republican Governor Greg Abbott's anti-immigrant policies.

On Aug. 3, AMLO labeled Abbott as "inhumane" following the deaths of two individuals in the Rio Grande, where Abbott had placed buoys and a wire fence to prevent migrant crossings.

The Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry has sent three diplomatic notes to Washington to lodge complaints about the buoys, alleging that they violate migrants' human rights and international water treaties.


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[–] demonquark@lemmy.ml 74 points 1 year ago (3 children)

So an injured migrant (how did he get injured?) was on the Mexican side of the border. Was approached by a guy on a motorcycle. And the Texas guard decided to shoot the guy? Because, according to the Texas Guard, e was trying to harm the migrant?

So… Obviously made up story to justify what is still an illegal act.

These guys have abandoned all pretense of adhering to the rule of law.

[–] MahatmaGandhalf@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago

been temporarily suspended from duty pending a full investigation

and the classic US way of "paid vacation for (attempted) murder"

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 1 year ago

No, wait, you don't understand. The guys who signed up to round up and (possibly) kill migrants were trying to protect a guy in another country. /s

[–] kitonthenet@kbin.social 27 points 1 year ago

Just a reminder the republican platform is we should invade and bombs Mexico, that’s what they say we should do

[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

"Texas authorities argue that it was in defense of a migrant, that the injured person wanted to harm a migrant, and that's why he fired into the air and then at the person," said AMLO

Pretty sure that's still illegal.

[–] sndmn@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

Only when the perpetrator isn't Republican.

[–] Longpork_afficianado@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Illegal yes, morally wrong, I would say no.

If(and it's a big if) this is an accurate statement, then defending a presumably innocent person from harm should take higher priority than complying with jurisdictional boundaries.

[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

In this case, it isn't quite "defending". With the distance involved, the chance of hitting your target and the risk of hitting someone else, it really is not something you should be doing.

[–] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

The US government doesn't believe that international laws apply to them - and they're kinda correct, nobody has a big enough military to really stand up to them.

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago

We must invade Texas to restore the rules-based international order and to bring about freedom and democracy.

[–] Dolores@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago

im just wondering what the fuck Texas, a state, is doing with its personnel regulating an international border. US states have ni right to regulate borders with other US states, much less the international one

[–] PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

No idea what really happened, but whether the story as presented in this article is true or not. The fact remains that even IF a US National Guardsmen really was "defending" a migrant, he shouldn't hav. That isn't how national relations work, and even if he were Jesus and 100% morally correct (he wasn't) he STILL shouldn't have done that. As long as borders exist, your morality can't extend beyond your country unless you are willing to accept the consequences of the most bad faith interpretations and outcomes.