A pregnant unlawful migrant reportedly gave birth to her child shortly after crossing the Rio Grande.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez confirmed the birth in a statement to The Daily Wire, saying that the child automatically became a U.S. citizen since he was born on U.S. soil.
Olivarez said that such incidents are becoming more common since Texas will often allow unlawful migrants to stay on the U.S. side of the border if they are involved in a medical emergency, such as going into labor, “because they know, obviously, that there is a human side to us.”
“To be that far in your pregnancy, they have to know more or less when she is going to give birth in order to cross on this side and cross here in the United States,” he said, per The Daily Wire.
“We see that a lot — where a lot of pregnant females who are coming across, they will wait usually when they are about to give birth. Then they’ll cross into the United States, and they’ll have the baby that same day, or they’ll have it right at the river as they are crossing,” he claimed.
Although this has become increasingly common, Olivarez explained that crossing the Rio Grande is dangerous and unlawful migrants who do so with their families are “really placing their children in danger.”
“It’s maybe just about shoulder height for an average person … one misstep and it’s going to take you under, or the current is going to take you, especially with a child,” he added, according to The Daily Wire. “There’s really no way to rescue that child because the current is so strong.”
Olivarez claimed that unlawful migrants choose to cross the river despite the dangers because unlawful migration is easier than the lawful process, noting that many people “want to get caught.”
“They know the system, they’re looking for border control because they know the process already: come across, look for the green uniform, and turn yourself in … chances are you’re going to get released into the country,” he said, as reported by The Daily Wire.
The United States is still dealing with a significant influx of unlawful migrants, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting record-breaking numbers of encounters along the southern border.
Texas has attempted to deter unlawful migration through various deterrence measures; however, these measures have created tension between the state and the federal government.
The Lone Star State is currently involved in lawsuits with the federal government over multiple deterrence measures, including the use of floating barriers and concertina wire along the border.
More recently, a lawsuit regarding a Texas border security bill that makes unlawful entry into the state a criminal offense got a hearing this week.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges in the lawsuit that the bill is unconstitutional and should be prevented from becoming law. While it is still unclear how the judge will rule in the case, the judge said he expects to decide by March 5, when the bill is set to become law, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
