Mexico [Mexico City], August 4: A body was found stuck in a barrier of buoys installed by Texas authorities in the Rio Grande river, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexico's foreign ministry said on Wednesday while expressing fresh safety concerns over the floating fence.
Authorities are working to identify the body found in the river and determine the cause of death, according to a statement from Mexico's foreign ministry.
The crossing is a popular area for migrants seeking to reach the United States.
The Texan government installed the barrier last month and said at the time the buoys would "help deter illegal immigrants attempting to make the dangerous river crossing into Texas."
Mexico's foreign ministry said: "We are concerned about the impact on migrants' human rights and personal security that these state policies could have, as they go in the opposite direction to close collaboration.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the victim appeared to have drifted into the buoys after drowning.
"Preliminary information suggests this individual drowned upstream from the marine barrier and floated into the buoys," DPS Director Steve McCraw said in a statement, noting that personnel are posted near the buoys "in case any migrants try to cross."
DPS added that it informed U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Mexican consulate upon receiving reports of a possible drowning victim earlier in the day.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
