EL PASO, Texas - Two prominent members of Congress dropped a bombshell accusation after visiting El Paso area border stations on Monday, claiming that agents told migrants in need of water to drink from the toilet.
It was an explosive charge that a Border Patrol official would deny hours later.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) initially made the accusation after touring the Customs and Border Protection facility at Hondo Pass.
That allegation was later repeated at an afternoon news conference at the Clint border station by Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who heads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
"This is CBP on their best behavior, telling people to drink out of a toilet," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters as she departed Hondo Pass for Clint.
"And that was with them knowing that a congressional visit was coming."
U.S. Border Patrol Chief of Operations Brian Hastings denied the accusations that some immigrants in border detention facilities are forced to drink from toilets. »
