Woman, Toddler Rescued from Swift Rio Grande Border River

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a migrant woman and her three-year-old daughter after they were swept away in the swiftly moving currents of the Rio Grande. Nearly two dozen migrants died in the past year in this sector of the border.

Eagle Pass Border Patrol Station agents observed a woman and her child as they prepared to illegally cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States. The agents saw the woman and her daughter being swept away by the swiftly moving current, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

Agents said the family immediately became distressed as the currents pulled them downstream out of control. The agents responded to the danger the woman placed her child in and quickly pulled the mother and child to the riverbank.

The agents contacted the Eagle Pass Fire Department and an ambulance crew evaluated the migrants and transported them to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center in Eagle Pass, Texas. There, doctors admitted the migrants and provided additional medical treatment.

Border Patrol officials identified the migrants as a Mexican female and her three-year-old daughter. Officials will process the migrants for immigration violations under current U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidelines, officials reported.

“The treacherous waters of the Rio Grande River pose a great risk to those who attempt to cross,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Thanks to the quick response and selfless dedication of our agents, the mother and daughter are safe, and the possible loss of life was avoided.”

During Fiscal Year 2019, which ended on September 30, Border Patrol agents and CBP Air and Marine Operations officers carried out more than 4,900 rescues. Many of those included water rescues in the Del Rio Sector. More than 20 migrants died in the Del Rio Sector during FY2019.