VIDEO: Teen Migrant Rescued from Drowning in Texas Border River

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents saved an unaccompanied minor from drowning in the Rio Grande River as she attempted to illegally cross last week.

Border Patrol marine agents received notification from an Eagle Pass Police Department detective monitoring the border under Operation Stonegarden that a young migrant was in trouble in the river. The detective observed the young girl struggling with the current and being pulled underwater, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials on Tuesday afternoon.

A video provided by Del Rio Sector officials captures the moment that the marine agents plucked the girl from the water and pulled her to safety. The video shows the Eagle Pass Station marine agents approaching the scene and an agent reaching down to grab the girl as the boat sped by. She is hoisted aboard by the quickly responding marine agents.

“This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of crossing the border illegally,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “If not for the vigilance of our Eagle Pass Police Department partners and the quick response by our Border Patrol agents, this incident could have ended tragically with this young girl drowning.”

Once rescued, the agents provided an on-scene medical analysis and determined that the 17-year-old Honduran girl was “distraught from the ordeal but unharmed.” The agents turned her over to ground-based Border Patrol agents who arranged transportation to the Fort Duncan Medical Center for a complete analysis.

Agents learned that the young girl’s mother illegally crossed the border earlier in the day without incident. Officials did not say why the girl was separated from her mother in Mexico and left to cross on her own.

Border Patrol agents reunited the young girl with her mother. The mother and daughter were processed according to Del Rio Sector guidelines.

In response to the overwhelming numbers of migrants being apprehended, Del Rio Sector officials announced in March plans to begin releasing migrants directly after apprehension. Sector officials said the migrants will be released on their own recognizance with a notice to appear for later immigration court proceedings.

“Due to capacity issues at our stations and the ongoing humanitarian crisis nationwide, Border Patrol has begun identifying detainees for potential release in Eagle Pass with a notice to appear for their immigration hearings,” Del Rio Sector officials stated.”

Late last month, agents in the same area rescued a migrant toddler who suffered seizures and convulsions after being exposed by her mother to the cold river, Breitbart News reported.

Eagle Pass Station agents received a call on Monday about a child in distress on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande River near Quemado, Texas. The agents quickly responded to the scene and found a two-year-old child suffering from seizures and convulsions. Agents reported the mother of the child had just carried the girl across the often dangerous river that separates Texas and Mexico.

After providing assistance at the scene, the agents contacted local emergency services first responders who transported the girl to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center in Eagle Pass, Texas. Once stabilized, doctors transported the child by ambulance to the San Antonio Children’s Hospital for “more advanced care.”