Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered the bodies on Thursday while responding to an illegal crossing attempt involving several dozen migrants near Eagle Pass, Texas. The migrants were attempting to enter the United States along the southern border. The bodies of nine migrants who were trying to enter the country were found in the Rio Grande.
During the event, Border Patrol officers were able to detain 53 migrants, according to the authorities, including 37 people who had to be rescued from the river that borders the United States of America and Mexico. According to the CBP’s report from Friday, Mexican authorities have taken custody of an additional 39 migrants on the opposite side of the Rio Grande.
According to a statement that was issued by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. border patrol officers found six of the corpses of the dead, while their Mexican government counterparts found three bodies. According to Richard Pauza, an agency spokesperson, the bodies were discovered within the river.
“Border Patrol agents are coordinating with the Eagle Pass Fire Department and Maverick County Sheriff’s Office as the search continues for other possible victims,” Pauza added.
There is a risk of death associated with illegally crossing the border between the United States and Mexico. The CBP has been keeping track of fatalities that have occurred among migrants in the Rio Grande, remote areas of the borderlands, and canals. A Guatemalan girl of five years old died of drowning last week, according to Mexican authorities. She and her mother had been attempting to cross the Rio Grande when the girl drowned.
Even if migrants are able to enter the United States, the journey can still be fatal. This was illustrated by the deaths of 53 migrants in an abandoned tractor-trailer in Texas earlier this summer. This is believed to be the most deadly case of suspected human smuggling in U.S. history.
The International Organization for Migration, which is affiliated with the United Nations, reported 728 deaths of migrants along the United States-Mexico border in 2021. Officials have said that even though this number is a record, it is likely an undercount due to limitations in data collection.
The border sector in Texas near Del Rio where the most recent alleged drownings happened, has witnessed an enormous surge in the number of migrant arrests over the last year, as has been the case in many other regions of the United States-Mexico border. CBP figures reveal that during the first ten months of the fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol agents in Del Rio were responsible for the apprehension of 376,000 migrants. This represents a 45% increase over the same period in 2021.
According to the figures provided by the CBP, immigration officers working for the United States along the Mexican border reported more than 1.8 million apprehensions during the fiscal year 2022. This figure represents a new record high and is expected to be surpassed by more than 2 million when the new fiscal year 2023 begins in October.
