Migrant Observed Throwing 1-Year-Old Girl into Texas Border River, Say Police

Police in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, observed a migrant tossing a one-year-old little girl into the Rio Grande while crossing the border from Mexico. Police say they witnessed the child going completely underwater in a life-threatening situation.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez tweeted a report involving a Honduran migrant who police say endangered the life of a small child while he attempted to illegally enter the United States from Mexico on July 16. The migrant, later identified as Miguel Ernesto Nunez-Martinez, threw the one-year-old little girl into the Rio Grande, placing her life in danger, Olivarez stated.

A Texas DPS trooper and a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) lieutenant assigned to patrol the border near Eagle Pass under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star arrested Nunez-Martinez for criminal trespass and child endangerment with imminent danger of bodily injury after he illegally crossed the border with a little girl.

According to a sworn arrest affidavit, FHP Lt. Michael Mattiza “observed a Hispanic male, wearing all black, with tattoos on his neck, [throw] a child into the Rio Grande River.” He described the child as approximately one year of age with a pink bow in her hair.

RELATED STORIES:

• Migrant Death Toll at Border Climbs to 23 in Two Weeks
• Migrant Infant, 3 Adults Drowned While Crossing Border River into Texas
• Ten Migrant Children Found Abandoned in 115-Degree Heat near Border in Texas
• Migrant Child Rescued from Dangerous Texas Heat near Border River
• Texas Heatwave Claims Lives of 2 Migrant Border Crossers
• WATCH: Texas Deploys Multi-Layer Border Strategy to Deter, Turnback Migrants at Border

“The child went [underwater] completely and was obviously in distress and [in danger] of drowning,” the Florida lieutenant added. He said the law enforcement riverboat quickly turned around as Nunez-Martinez grabbed the child from under the water. “The child was crying and visibly terrified,” Mattiza stated.

Police verbally warned Nunez-Martinez repeatedly not to attempt to enter the private property along the Rio Grande. The area bear Shelby Park in Eagle Pass is clearly marked with no trespassing signs, Constantine wire, fences, and shipping containers. Despite the barriers and repeated verbal warnings, Nunez-Martinez illegally trespassed onto the private property, DPS Trooper Austin Johnson stated.

Lt. Olivarez reports that Nunez-Martinez is now in jail facing state charges related to criminal trespass and felony child endangerment.