Two Migrants Rescued from Texas Border River, One Drowned

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents rescued two migrants from drowning in the Rio Grande this week. Agents also discovered the body of a deceased migrant in the river.

Agents assigned to Eagle Pass Station river patrol duties on June 25 came upon the body of a deceased man in the Rio Grande border river that separates Texas and Mexico, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials. The agents recovered the body approximately two miles northeast of the Eagle Pass Port of Entry where he could have safely and legally crossed the border.

Members of the Eagle Pass Fire Department took custody of the remains and a local justice of the peace made the statutory declaration of death.

One day earlier, Eagle Pass marine unit agents rescued a man and a small child attempting to illegally cross the Rio Grande from Mexico, officials reported. The agents observed a man and a little girl wading into the border river. The man held the hand of the toddler who had trouble standing in the swiftly moving current of the river that has claimed the lives of many migrants this year.

Agents observed the child having difficulty staying afloat as she held the man’s hands, the report continues. The swiftly moving water pulled her under several times.

Border Patrol agents quickly responded with patrol boats and pulled the man and the two-year-old little girl into their boat. The man declined medical attention.

As a precautionary measure, agents arranged transportation for the toddler to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center for evaluation.

Officials reported the claimed family unit to be Honduran nationals. They are being processed under Del Rio Sector Guidelines, officials stated.

“Migrants continue to disregard the safety of their lives as well as their children when attempting to cross the Rio Grande River,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “If our agents had not reacted in time, the man and his daughter would have drowned.”

Ortiz sent his condolences to the family of the deceased migrant who drowned during the illegal border crossing on Tuesday. “The recovery of a dead body is one of the grimmest tasks performed by Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement agencies,” the sector chief said.

So far this year, 21 migrants have been found dead in the Del Rio Sector — many from drownings in the dangerous river. Many of these deaths involved children being forced by their parents to cross the dangerous river.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.