276 Migrants Apprehended in Two Groups Crossing Border into Texas

Rio Grande Valley Sector agents apprehended two large groups of migrants at separate locations along the Texas-Mexico border. The near-simultaneous crossings resulted in the apprehension of 276 migrants, including family units and unaccompanied minors.

Rio Grande City Station Border Patrol agents working the Rio Grande near Roma, Texas, on Tuesday received information about a large group crossing the border, according to information obtained from Border Patrol officials. As the agents arrived on the scene, they observed a group of 145 migrants who had just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico.

During processing, agents categorized the group as containing 121 family members and 24 unaccompanied minors.

At nearly the same time, another group of Rio Grande City agents encountered a group of 131 migrants. Officials reported this group consisted of 99 family units, 28 Unaccompanied Alien Children, and four single adults.

The 276 migrants in total were transported to Border Patrol facilities for processing, background investigations, and medical screenings. In some cases, migrant families and single adults can be expelled under Title 42 coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The groups crossed the Rio Grande almost simultaneously, over 30 miles apart,” Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings said in a Twitter post. “The majority consisting of family members and unaccompanied children.”

Border Patrol officials in the Rio Grande Valley Sector reported the apprehension of 35 large migrant groups so far this year. Border Patrol defines “large groups” as 100 or more migrants.

“Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation,” Border Patrol officials said in a written statement.