Chris Lieberman, FISM News
Search crews on Monday recovered the body of 22-year-old Specialist Bishop E. Evans, a member of the Texas National Guard, three days after he went missing in the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas.
According to a press release from the Texas Military Department (TMD), “SPC Evans went missing while trying to selflessly help migrants who appeared to be drowning as they tried to cross the river from Mexico into the U.S, on Friday April 22, 2022.” When Evans did not resurface, an interagency search spent four days trying to locate him in the Rio Grande’s treacherous waters. On Monday morning, search crews found and identified Evans’ body, confirming that he had drowned.
Although his life was tragically cut short, Evans spent his time serving his country both at home and abroad. According to the TMD, which oversees the Texas National Guard, Evans “joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. He returned in the fall of 2020 from mobilization to Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait. During this mobilization, his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait.”
The TMD also reported that the two migrants Evans rescued were attempting to cross the border illegally and “were involved in illicit transnational narcotics trafficking.” They are currently in the custody of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) mourned the loss on Twitter, writing, “We are heartbroken to learn of the death of SPC Bishop Evans.” He went on to post a statement saying, “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.” Abbott also thanked the search crews who found the body and called on Texans to “join [Abbott’s wife] Cecilia and me in praying for the family and friends of SPC Evans as they grieve this heartbreaking loss.”
We are heartbroken to learn of the death of SPC Bishop Evans.
He heroically served his state & country.
I want to thank all rescue teams that worked to locate this soldier.
Join me & Cecilia in praying for the family & friends of SPC Evans. pic.twitter.com/xwSZlqEGhT
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 25, 2022
At a press conference following the tragic news, Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki if the Biden administration bore any blame for Evans’ death in light of the ongoing immigration crisis at the border that the president has thus far been unable to quell. Psaki responded by saying, “I would note that the National Guard works for the states, so he is an employee of the Texas National Guard, and his efforts and his operation were directed by there, not by the federal government in this effort and this apparatus.”
Problems at the southern border have continued to plague the Biden administration, with the flow of migrants continuing to increase. CBP reported over 221,000 encounters at the border in March 2022 alone. Many from both sides of the aisle are placing the blame for the crisis on the president’s immigration policies, which critics say incentivize immigrants to enter the country illegally without fear of consequence.
In March, the Biden administration announced plans to lift Title 42, a policy that allowed the U.S. to deny immigrants entry to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, a move that many predict will lead to a further surge in migrants.
Yesterday, a federal appeals judge temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending the policy until arguments for a more formal injunction can be considered.