Immigration
Heartbreak on the Rio Grande: Eight migrants drown while dozens of others swept down river
U.S. government officials announced they rescued 37 individuals during the mass crossing while 53 were taken into custody. Another 39 border crossers were captured by Mexican authorities.
September 3, 2022 9:08am
Updated: September 3, 2022 9:10am
Eight migrants drowned while trying to crossing the Rio Grande river from Mexico into Texas.
U.S. officials announced that they rescued a 37 individuals during a group crossing of dozens of people, according to the New York Times. Law enforcement agents took a total of 53 migrants into custody after the tragic incidents.
Another 39 were captured by Mexican authorities.
The scores of migrants tried to cross the river at Eagle Pass, one of the most challenging crossings into the United States. The tide was reportedly higher than usual because of heavy rainfall.
Rick Pauza, a spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection bureau in Laredo, Texas, released a statement saying officials were continuing to search for survivors with the help of the local fire department and sheriff’s office. Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello said powerful currents pulled many migrants downstream as they struggled to cross the river a mile south of an international bridge.
Migrant drownings have rapidly become a regular tragedy on the river, sometimes occurring days in a row, said the chief, a 58-year-old Eagle Pass native.
Twelve bodies were recovered on the same day, six by Mexican officials and six by U.S. authorities — after another migrant group tried to cross.
In a separate incident two months ago, two boys, one 3 months old and another 3 years old were pulled from their uncle while trying to cross, he said. The infant was rushed to a San Antonio hospital, but the 3 year old drowned.
Migrant crossings have been on the rise this year with administration officials facing record breaking numbers averaging about 200,000 encounters per month.
Officials encountered a record 240,000 migrants at the Southern Border in May.
In July the United Nations' International Organization for Migration said the U.S. border with Mexico the “deadliest land crossing in the world.”
“1,238 lives have been lost during migration in the [north, central and south] Americas in 2021, among them at least 51 children,” according to the report. “At least 728 of these deaths occurred on the United States-Mexico border crossing, making this the deadliest land crossing in the world.”
