Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned migrants unlawfully crossing the U.S.-Mexico border of alligators in the Rio Grande River.
“Alligators in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass,” Abbott said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Abbott’s post came in response to a journalist’s video of an alligator shared on social media.
Newsnation reporter Ali Bradley said in a post on X: “Gary” the Gator hangin in the Rio Grande in the Eagle Pass area.
STEVE MARCUS/AP
“Texas Department of Public Safety troopers caught him on camera this time—they tell me they see him regularly out there where large groups still cross illegally.”
Newsweek has contacted Abbott’s office for further comment via email outside of normal working hours.
Immigration is a salient issue as former President Donald Trump squares off against Vice President Kamala Harris as November’s presidential election inches closer.
The Biden-Harris administration has been embroiled in a war of words with Republicans over the methods deployed to deter migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, with Abbott stirring further controversy by installing razor wire.
In July Abbott criticized Harris after she visited Texas without stopping at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying she “couldn’t trouble herself” to visit.
However Harris is expected to visit the southern border in Arizona on today and to give a speech.
In April, the Texas Governor issued a similar warning to migrants about gators in the Rio Grande.
“Alligators are in the Rio Grande. FYI, there are warning signs posted in some sectors. Cross at your own risk,” the Republican wrote on X earlier this year.
Alligator attacks are exceptionally rare in the United States, although in May, Texas authorities discovered a woman’s remains clenched in the jaws of an alligator.
In 2015, a 28-year-old man died in a fatal alligator attack in Texas while swimming in Adams Bayou.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data cited by Live Science, aligators killed 10 people in the southeastern U.S. between 1999 and 2019.
The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission has recorded over 450 bites by gators on people in the state and 30 fatalities.
Only swim in designated areas and pay attention to any warnings about wildlife in the area.
Experts say alligators are most active at night, so swimming during the day can reduce risk.
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