Migrant Groups Continue Crossing Texas Border Despite Intense Heat

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Several groups of migrants crossed the Rio Grande, immediately surrendering to authorities. The largest of the groups, nearly 50 in total, surrendered to Texas Department of Public Safety troopers around midday on Sunday as Breitbart Texas looked on. Temperatures at the time hovered at 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The group sought shelter from the sweltering sun as the troopers guarded the group of migrants as the waited for the arrival of Border Patrol transport vehicles. The migrants crossed into an area that allowed them to avoid state criminal charges of criminal trespass. Instead, the Border Patrol will process the groups hoping to be released inside the United States to pursue asylum claims.

The migrant group consisted of adult males and females and several family groups. Several women were observed carrying infants and small children, Breitbart observed. Record-breaking temperatures have proven fatal in June and early July, with most migrant deaths recorded by the Border Patrol in recent weeks attributed to heat-related illnesses.

Border Patrol agents recovered 13 deceased migrants in one week along the southwest border. The recoveries made by the agency were accompanied by 226 rescues of migrants suffering heat-related injuries from June 25 to July 1, according to Jason Owens, the recently named the 26^th Chief of the United States Border Patrol.

As reported by Breitbart Texas last week, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector, which includes Eagle Pass, rescued a migrant child who became dangerously dehydrated after exposure to the high temperatures.

In 2022, more than 800 migrant deaths were recorded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In 2021, 728 migrants perished attempting the border crossing into the United States, prompting the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) to declare the United States-Mexico land border the most dangerous land crossing in the world in July of 2022.

Sunday’s migrant group was encountered in an area just south of the city where the construction of a new floating border barrier project is underway. The floating buoy border barrier will be installed in the Rio Grande and is manufactured by the Cochrane USA corporation. The project which consists of a 1,000-foot-long structure consisting of four-foot-wide buoys, is expected to be completed by late July. The project is funded by legislation Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law in June, which allocates $5.1 billion for enhanced border security measures in the state.

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.