The White House distanced itself from the death of Texas National Guard member Bishop Evans, who drowned while trying to save migrants struggling to cross the Rio Grande.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized that Evans, 22, was employed by the Texas state government under Operation Lone Star when asked whether President Joe Biden’s administration was responsible for his death as border communities brace for a surge in migrants during the summer months and after the rolling back of Title 42 on May 23.
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“We’ve long stated that our immigration system is broken,” she told reporters Monday. “There needs to be more done to invest in smarter security, to have a more effective asylum processing system, and we would welcome any efforts for any elected officials to work with us on that.”
Psaki also underscored how Biden had “inherited” the system from former President Donald Trump.
“The former president invested billions of dollars on a border wall that was never going to work or be effective, instead of working towards comprehensive immigration reform,” she said.
Psaki did convey Biden’s sympathies to Evans’s family and loved ones, saying he and White House aides’ “heart” goes out to them. She described Evans’s attempts to save two migrants who appeared to be drowning as they tried to enter the United States from Mexico as “selfless.”
“We know that National Guard personnel, including him, risk their lives every day to serve and protect others,” she said. “We are mourning the loss of his life, and we are grateful for the work of every [guard member],” she added later in the briefing.
Psaki did not provide any updates regarding if or when Biden would reach out to Evans’s family.
Evans was a field artilleryman from Arlington, according to the Texas Military Department. He joined the Texas National Guard in 2019 as a specialist and served in Iraq and Kuwait as part of Operation Spartan Shield before returning to the Lone Star State in 2020.
Evans was reported missing near Eagle Pass, southwest of San Antonio, on Friday morning, and a Texas Ranger-led search that involved boats and helicopters in tandem with state and federal officials recovered his body Monday.
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The two migrants are in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody.
