Texas Police Investigate Mystery of Disappearing Water Barrels for Migrants – By Aleks Phillips (Newsweek) / Aug 15, 2023
Barrels of water placed near the border with Mexico to prevent undocumented migrants from dehydrating under searing heat in southern Texas have been mysteriously disappearing, prompting questions as to whether they have been intentionally removed.
The barrels were placed near the border in the sparsely populated Jim Hogg County by the South Texas Human Rights Center in recent years, but John Meza, a volunteer with the organization, told the Associated Press that while refilling them in July, he noticed that 12 of the 21 stations were missing.
Ruben Garza, an investigator with the county sheriff’s office, told Newsweek that he was looking into allegations that the barrels had been stolen but suspected they had been moved by individuals who did not know what they were for.
“We’re in the lifesaving business, regardless of what anybody thinks,” said Garza, who was with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than 30 years. “Humanity is what we have to protect.”
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