Border Patrol Agents Find Deceased Migrant, Rescue Two Others

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector rescued two migrants who had become lost on ranches near the Texas border with Mexico. In a separate incident, agents recovered the body of a migrant who drowned while attempting to cross the river.

Falfurrias Station agents received a call about a lost migrant on Thursday morning from the Starr County Sheriff’s office. The agents responded to the last known location of the migrant and successfully rescued him, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The agents identified the man as a Salvadoran national.

A short time later, the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Falfurrias Station about another lost migrant who had been abandoned on a ranch by his smugglers. Border Patrol agents responded to the geographic coordinates provided by the sheriff’s office and conducted a search operation. The agents eventually found the man before he fell victim to the near 100-degree heat. The agents transported the subject to the Falfurrias Station for processing and a biometric background check. Officials identified the man as also being from El Salvador.

Border Patrol agents observed a migrant in the Rio Grande River who appeared to be in distress, officials stated. A McAllen Station riverine team responded to the area but they were unable to locate the struggling migrant. Members of the Penitas Fire Department also assisted in the search.

A few days later, agents found a lifeless body on the Mexican side of the river near the border town of Penitas, Texas.  Border Patrol officials contacted Mexican authorities who dispatched first responders to recover the remains. Officials believe the body is the same person who had struggled in their attempt to cross the river border from Mexico into Texas.

Officials reported a sharp increase in the number of migrant deaths this year, according to the Missing Migrant Project. At least 266 migrants have died near the U.S.-Mexico border in connection with illegal border crossings and human smuggling operations. This is up from 241 compared to the same period in 2017 and 237 during 2016. During the two previous years combined, only 228 migrants died along the border.