Official website of the Department of Homeland Security, Performance, Accountability and Financial Reports. And while far more migrants trying to slip into the United States die on land – from dehydration or other dangers in the desert and brush – the number of deaths in the Rio Grande is rising at an alarming rate. “The sad moments are the deaths. The Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico. On May 14, a woman lashed her 1-year-old child to her back and entered the river on an inner tube unaware that her child was submerged under water as she struggled with the current. The woman, who said she was to give birth in about a week, wanted to apply for asylum in the United States and hoped to create a good life for her soon-to-be-born son. Migrants have for years traversed the Rio Grande on makeshift rafts to cross illegally into the United States. A woman crossing the Rio Bravo with a baby on the US-Mexico border in Ojinaga, in northern Mexico. Swimming and even walking in the Rio Grande is dangerous, according to emergency officials. Children are drowning or are critically injured. Davis says he expects to find more bodies. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Their heads are wrapped in a black T-shirt, and her tiny right arm is draped over his shoulders. From there, the migrants search out relatives or other places to stay while their cases wind their way through immigration court. Since 1 October, border-patrol agents in the Del Rio sector have arrested nearly 18,000 migrant family members – compared with 1,387 during the first eight months of fiscal 2018. … Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The mother and child were rescued by Border Patrol agents and taken to a local hospital. In recent weeks, Border Patrol agents in Del Rio Sector have seen true tragedies and several near tragedies caused by immigrants who did not heed the warning. He also questions why migrants would knowingly put their children in that type of danger in attempting the perilous journey to the United States. The US border patrol has issued warnings in Mexico about the dangers of crossing the Rio Grande, and Kemmett says migrants have been urged to at least wear life jackets before making the attempt. “But within those families, we’re seeing more and more younger infants. Increased water volume strengthens the river current and puts anyone attempting to illegally cross in jeopardy. Del Rio, Texas –The Del Rio U.S. Border Patrol Sector is issuing a warning to immigrants not to risk their lives and the lives of their children by attempting to cross the Rio Grande River. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. On Feb. 18, Border Patrol agents pulled an unconscious 12-year-old boy from the river. So far in the current federal fiscal year, which began on 1 October, border-patrol agents have rescued at least 315 migrants from a 209-mile stretch of the Rio Grande – up from 12 migrants the year before. Attempting to cross the Rio Grande River especially with small children is not worth the risk. Pushing through the river’s current, and mindful of an alligator lingering upriver, she guides her friend’s crying 10-year-old boy towards a US border-patrol rescue boat. It is imperative that immigrants wishing to enter the United States do so through a designated port of entry. Last month, the Trump administration began flying migrants from overcrowded centres elsewhere in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to Del Rio to be processed. “I feel thankful that my family is OK.”. The agents performed CPR on the boy and resuscitated him. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel. As the boat carries them on the final leg of their journey to the United States from Honduras, the young woman waves back to a group on Mexico’s riverbank cheering her rescue. Attempting to cross the Rio Grande River especially with small children is not worth the risk. “The life with my partner was a risk,” she said as she looked at the river. Photograph: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images A g e n c e F r a n c e - … The Rio Grande Valley Sector currently has multiple campaigns focused on rescues and danger awareness, such as “Operation Big Rig” and “No Se Arriesgue” to combat smuggling and ultimately save lives. A couple of days earlier, a video of a man desperately trying to swim against the current before going limp and sinking circulated in Mexican news media. But they also say they were convinced by human smugglers and by other migrants that crossing the Rio Grande, which can take about five to 10 minutes, was the fastest and least complicated way to start their requests for asylum, given the Trump administration’s clampdown at legal ports of entry. The US Customs and Border Protection agency took more than 144,200 into custody in May, the highest monthly total in 13 years. It belonged to a baby. The bodies were found after a search by Mexican police along the Rio Grande At least 283 migrants died on the US-Mexico border in 2018, according … The shocking image captured Monday was a grim … Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. Nine days later, he waits in a shelter in Del Rio, packed with scores of other migrants, for a bus to Dallas to stay with friends. Fusion. Children are drowning or are critically injured. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. He steadies his 32-year-old wife as they walk into the river current; she tightly grips their barefoot 16-year-old son. They are processed in centres that were built to detain migrants before they were deported. The day before, border-patrol agents at the Eagle Pass river crossing in South Texas had found the body of a man too decomposed to be easily identified. Kemmett says the border-patrol agents he oversees are becoming “battle fatigued”. Some of them were infants who had to be flown to a hospital in San Antonio after they nearly drowned, Kemmett says. But turning her head, she revealed a bruised jaw – the evidence of what she said was an attack by her domestic partner in Honduras. LAREDO, Texas – The Rio Grande is known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico; “bravo” is Spanish for fierce, treacherous, unpredictable. Read our full mailing list consent terms here. Illegals Crossing the Rio Grande Now Have to Contend with Massive Prehistoric Beast ... Not only do illegal immigrants have to deal with nature, they also have to make their way through unspeakably dangerous territory controlled by drug cartels where daily violence is the norm. From the scorching Sonoran Desert to the fast-moving Rio Grande, the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border has long been an at times deadly crossing between ports of entry. Unfortunately, we’ve seen some of those,” says Bryan Kemmett, the border-patrol agent in charge of Eagle Pass, a town of 29,000 about an hour from the larger Del Rio. Failed river crossing claims life of 10-month-old child; reaction from former New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. Mexican border city Juárez issues a public service announcement to warn migrants about the dangers of crossing the Rio Grande River. After crossing successfully, some change into the dry clothes before they are taken to a border-patrol facility to be processed. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports from Texas, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Border-patrol agents meet the family in the middle of the river and bring them to land. This is a 57 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The change isn’t just aesthetic – it … Migrants crossing the Rio Grande towards the United States are rescued by a U.S. border patrol boat, seen from Piedras Negras, Mexico, February 12. “The more troubling ones, the ones more recently, are the small infants. Much like in the U.S., many of the migrants died from dehydration or injuries in desert and mountain areas after being abandoned by human smugglers, the report continues. Despite its name and status though, the once mighty Rio Grande is now a mere trickle – diminished by industrial damming. Border Patrol agents are rescuing people, but have also had the grim task of recovering deceased bodies including children as young as 10-months-old from the Rio Grande River.”. Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents observed a man with an infant strapped to his chest, preparing to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. On May 1, a raft … A 7-year-old girl is still missing. And in early May, border-patrol agents at Eagle Pass pulled the body of a 10-month-old baby from the Rio Grande after a raft carrying nine migrants overturned. And the desperation and the panic gets in there, and then they start to struggle.” Once they cross the Rio Grande and touch US soil, the migrants are taken into custody by the border patrol. Rio Grande Regional Hospital admitted both subjects for evaluation/treatment. Over the past two fiscal years, at least 11 people have drowned in the Del Rio sector of the Rio Grande. They’re navigating the currents, they’re navigating the river itself, and now you have alligators, Walking along the riverbank in Eagle Pass, Kemmett stops to examine a shirt left in the weeds near the water. But facing a surge of families from Central America, border-patrol agents are now pulling dozens of migrants, including young children, from the harsh current of the river almost every day. Only five survived. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Immigrants crossing the border through the river with the help of what they call "Los Polleros" when the government shut down. Steve is investigating his father's sudden death after charges of theft from the Sloan/Carson mine. On May 1, a raft carrying nine people capsized sending everyone on board into the water. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. While the Rio Grande is shallow in some areas, other parts dip without warning to a depth of 8ft. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? “It’s not easy to begin with,” Kemmett says, “but now you’re trying to hold on to your child. “So this is nothing compared to that.”. Close. The bodies of migrant Oscar Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, who drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande on their way to the U.S. in Matamoros, Mexico, are … Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Rio Grande Regional Hospital admitted both subjects for evaluation/treatment. Storage areas that had been used for border-patrol equipment in Del Rio “are now storing baby formula, diapers, additional extra space for blankets, heat blankets they can wrap up in”, Davis says. he 19-year-old pregnant migrant wades towards the US shore, deep enough in the Rio Grande for waves to splash against her waist. She had briefly reconsidered crossing the Rio Grande after seeing pictures on Facebook a day earlier of an alligator in the river. Reporting from Matamoros, Mexico — Some migrant families this weekend contemplated crossing the swirling Rio Grande from Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. despite several recent drowning … 7 / 29 / 14 12:23 PM. With Jimmy Wakely, Dub Taylor, Reno Browne, Riley Hill. “The whole world crosses through the river,” says Yevy Leiva, 28, who steered a raft across the Rio Grande with his son and two other migrants. A few hours earlier, a pregnant Honduran woman took her first steps on US soil. Trying to cross the river with a 2-month-old strapped to your chest or your back is not easy.”. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports from Texas, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, The migrants risking it all on the deadly Rio Grande, The Trump admin’s latest move against immigrant kids is horribly cruel, Trump imposes tariffs on Mexican imports to crack down on immigration, Sixth migrant child dies in US immigration detention, Trump wants immigrants so learn English and pass ‘merit’ exam, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. On board into the dry clothes before they were deported earlier of an alligator in the Rio Grande seeing! 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