12 Migrants Rescued on Texas Border River in Single Afternoon

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents rescued 12 migrants from drowning in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, in a single afternoon.

Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens tweeted images of Eagle Pass Station river unit agents rescuing migrants from the swiftly moving currents of the border river that separates Texas and Mexico. During a single afternoon, the agents rescued 12 migrants as they lost their footing while illegally crossing the border from Mexico.

On April 13, a group of migrants entered the waters of the Rio Grande near the Camino Real International Bridge. The swiftly moving currents of the border river caused the migrants to lose their footing and be scattered down the river, according to a statement from Border Patrol officials.

River unit agents made several trips and quickly deployed flotation devices and rescue ropes. They then rescued individual migrants and transported them to the riverbank where ground-based agents took them into custody.

EMS units arrived and offered medical assistance.The migrants refused treatment and agents transported them to the Eagle Pass Centralized Processing Center for evaluation and processing.

While no one died in this incident, other migrants have not been as fortunate. On April 12, Breitbart Texas’ Randy Clark reported the drowning deaths of two migrant children and four adults near Eagle Pass. The six deaths occurred between Sunday and Tuesday.

On April 11, agents reported that a 14-year-old girl and an infant were swept away during a border crossing attempt. As of press time, the agents had yet to recover the bodies of the missing children.

Eagle Pass agents recovered the bodies of eight other migrants during a two-week period in March, Breitbart reported. One of these victims was a four-year-old child who was swept out of the mother’s arms by the current, Breitbart Texas reported. A few days later, as Breitbart toured the region and spoke with marine unit agents, the agents found the child’s lifeless body.

Breitbart Texas reached out to CBP officials for confirmation of the number of drownings in a short period of time in this single Texas border sector. Officials responded they would not release these numbers at this time and offered no further comment.