5 Migrants Drown near Mexican Banks of Rio Grande in 48 Hours

On Sunday, a suspected migrant drowning victim was pulled from the Rio Grande by Grupo Beta, a rescue group in Mexico. The unidentified person was discovered by fishermen in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, opposite Eagle Pass, Texas.

According to a report in Zocalo, the fishermen first saw the body tangled in thick brush near the riverbank. After responding to the report, Grupo Beta recovered the body and were unable to immediately identify the badly decomposed remains. No identification documents were found.

According to the report, this discovery marks the fifth suspected migrant drowning victim recovered in Piedras Negras in the last 48 hours. Grupo Beta is the migrant rescue division of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute (INAMI). The group is comprised of 21 segments operating in nine Mexican border states.

The group responds to calls for assistance but is not constantly on patrol in significant numbers. Grupo Beta is reporting a total of 108 migrant deaths along the Texas border region since the year began. According to INAMI, 53 migrant deaths were reported for all of 2020. These numbers do not account for deceased migrants located by U.S. authorities. According to Customs and Border Protection as of July, 324 such recoveries of deceased migrants have occurred in the United States.

One possible connection to the recent spike in drownings is a noticeable shortage of Border Patrol presence in recent weeks due to the increase in migrant traffic. The Border Patrol is focused entirely on the task of processing, feeding, and caring for the thousands of migrants apprehended daily.

The Border Patrol was forced to cancel marine airboat patrols in recent weeks as personnel were reassigned to humanitarian operations. The number of rescues nationally by the Border Patrol increased from 5,071 in all of 2020 to more than 10,000 in 10 months of this fiscal year, which began in October. The cancellation of routine patrols and airboats reduces the likelihood of discovering distressed migrants in the Rio Grande.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.