Two migrant children drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande, infant struggling to survive 

Two migrant children drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States and a third was fighting for his life in the latest tragedy at the border. 

One of the two children that died was a 5-year-old girl from Guatemala, who was swept away from her mother’s arms while in the river. The mother was rescued by authorities and survived.   

The mother and daughter were part of a group of migrants who tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border through the Rio Grande, which at times can have strong currents. The body of the child was found downstream near Ciudad Juarez. 

In a separate incident, a 3-year-old boy and a two-month-old baby were also rescued from the Rio Grande after they attempted to cross it with a group of migrants near the International Bridge II, reported The New York Post.

The boy was reported dead at the scene, while the infant was taken to a hospital in San Antonio, where he remains in critical condition. 

With an unprecedented number of undocumented migrants attempting to cross the border, the United States has also seen a record number of migrant deaths and rescues, according to CBP data. 

The number of migrants who have died while attempting to cross the border has more than doubled since last year. In 2021, CBP reported 557 migrant deaths along the border, compared to 254 recorded in 2020 and 300 in 2019.

According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, drowning is the second most common cause of death among migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Similarly, the number of rescues across the southern border also outpaces the figure for 2021. From October 2021 to May of this year, border agents have conducted 14,278 search-and-rescue missions. During the previous 12-month period, agents conducted 12,833 missions, a figure that had already significantly increased from 5,071 in 2020.