Cuban Migrant Woman Dies from Cardiac Arrest While Crossing Border into Texas

EAGLE PASS, Texas — A migrant woman from Cuba died while crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas on Wednesday morning. The woman appears to have suffered cardiac arrest following an asthma attack while crossing the border river.

Breitbart Texas posted along the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass Wednesday morning and observed a single group of more than 400 migrants surrender to authorities south of Eagle Pass on Wednesday morning. Absent from the group was one migrant woman who experienced a medical emergency on the banks of the Rio Grande and was unable to continue the journey. Border Patrol agents summoned an Emergency Medical Technician and the local Fire Department’s EMS. Efforts to save the woman were unsuccessful.

The unidentified migrant woman initially was reported to have been suffering from an acute asthma attack. According to a source within CBP, not authorized to speak to the media, the woman’s medical emergency led to a cardiac event that ultimately caused her death at approximately 8:00 a.m. The woman crossed the river into the United States with a group of more than 400 other migrants. Members of the group alerted authorities of her condition.

According to the source, the woman was transported to a local funeral home after the pronouncement of death.

The female migrant is the latest victim to die while crossing into the United States, a border the United Nations has declared the deadliest land border in the world. According to CBS report, More than 850 migrants perished crossing the border from Mexico to the U.S. in Fiscal Year 2022. That number, as reported by Breitbart Texas, may be grossly understated. The count includes only deceased migrants recovered by Border Patrol agents in the immediate border region. The number does not include those encountered by local authorities away from the border or those deceased migrants recovered by authorities in Mexico.

In all, more than 800 mostly Cuban migrants crossed into the United States near Eagle Pass within an hour before noon on Wednesday. As the migrant woman lay dying on the banks of the Rio Grande, those who survived the crossing celebrated their arrival as they surrendered to Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers.

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.