Coast Guard Rescues 12 Migrants in Texas Border River

U.S. Coast Guardsmen rescued 12 migrants from the currents of the Rio Grande. They reportedly came to the U.S. from Cuba, El Salvador, and Honduras.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew patrolling the Rio Grande in far southeast Texas observed a raft loaded with migrants who were attempting to enter the country illegally. As the guardsmen approached, many of the migrants jumped into the water and began struggling with the swiftly moving current, according to Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.

The crewmen quickly moved their boats into position to prosecute the rescue of the migrants. In total, the guardsmen pulled 12 migrants to safety. The Coast Guard crew transported the migrants to the riverbank where Border Patrol agents took them into custody.

Border Patrol agents then conducted immigration interviews and welfare checks on the migrants. Emergency Medical Technician trained agents determined none of the migrants required medical attention. The agents identified the 12 migrants as foreign nationals of Cuba, El Salvador, and Honduras.

The agents transported the illegal immigrants to the station for processing under Rio Grande Valley Sector guidelines.

Border Patrol agents have rescued more than 4,300 migrants from life-threatening situations in border rivers, irrigation canals, and the deserts that make up the southwest border regions.

Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Tuesday that Border Patrol agents carried out more than 4,000 rescues so far this year, Breitbart Texas reported.

“This is who the men and women of the United States Customs and Border Protection are,” the commissioner testified. “They risk their lives every single day to help and protect whoever is in distress.”

“Smugglers openly advertise about a safe and legal journey to the United States,” he explained. “They tell migrants and their families that there is a policy in the United States that anyone who arrives with a child will not be deported. And our laws support that perception.”