Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday confirmed the death of a Texas National Guard soldier who drowned in the Rio Grande while helping to rescue illegal immigrants who were trying to cross the border.
Specialist Bishop E. Evans went missing Friday morning and, after crews spent days searching the river near Eagle Pass, the governor said his body was finally recovered.
“Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country,” the governor said.
Spc. Evans, 22, was deployed to the border as part of Mr. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which uses state resources to plug gaps in border security that the governor says have been created by lax immigration policies under President Biden.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, called the death “heart-wrenching,” and drew an explicit link between Mr. Biden and Specialist Evans’ death.
“Taking advantage of the reckless open-border policies of the Biden administration, the cartels across our border regularly leave people to drown as a distraction, knowing Americans will not stand idly by,” Mr. Cuz said. “We must put an end to the lawlessness that cost this heroic Guardsman his life.”
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president and his team were “mourning the loss” of Spc. Evans’ life.
When asked whether the president bore any responsibility, she pointed a finger back at Mr. Abbott.
“He is an employee of the Texas National Guard, and his efforts and his operation were directed by there, not by the federal government,” she said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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