Border Patrol Agents First on Scene of Texas Bus Crash

Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector were first on the scene of the tragic bus crash that killed 8 people and injured 44 others.

As new details continue to pour out about the tragic bus crash that killed 9 passengers and injured dozens of others this weekend, one detail that was not been mentioned by news outlets deals with the number of federal Border Patrol agents that arrived first at the scene to provide rescue efforts and first aid to the victims.

As Breitbart Texas previously reported, a charter bus traveling form the Rio Grande Valley to a casino in Eagle pass wrecked resulting in multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.

“U.S. Border Patrol agents were the first responders on the scene. They were there helping the victims get out of the bus and providing first aid while medical teams arrived,” said Hector Garza, the president of the local chapter of the National Border Patrol Council in an exclusive interview with Breitbart Texas. In his capacity as president and spokesman for the NBPC’s Local 2455 Garza is able to speak publicly about issues pertaining to the agents that he represents.

One of the little known issues that border patrol agents deal with is that they are often the first officials to respond to accidents, or law enforcement calls in rural areas, Garza said.

“Many of these tragic accidents take place in remote areas, far from cities. Because of the nature of their job, many times border patrol agents are the only ones out there in those areas and are able to respond immediately,” he said. “Our agents have basic first aid skills and some have EMT training. They are able to switch from an enforcement mentality into life-saving mindset to provide attention during those critical moments.”

During a recent stabbing in the border town of Cenizo, a Border Patrol agent who was the first responder to the scene was able to apply first aid and save the life of the victim before emergency personnel and local law enforcement arrived, Garza said.

The efforts undertaken by agents to save lives are actually part of their day-to-day activities as agents. While news outlets and some segments of the community typically shed a negative light on agents for arresting undocumented immigrants, many fail to realize that often times  human smugglers abandon injured or out of shape individuals in the brush, leaving them out to die, he said.

“We hear it ‘la migra this or la migra that’ but in those moments to that immigrant or to that crash or crime victim, that agent was someone that was there to do everything possible to save them and get them to safety,” Garza said.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.