Visits: 15
A Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue team rescued five migrants as they struggled to cross a treacherous stretch of the Rio Grande recently.
Video released by Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens shows the migrants frantically treading water as a Border Patrol agent jumps from the back of a jet ski to help them to safety.
The incident is the latest example of dangerous conditions that record numbers of migrants face as they try to cross the southern border, including extreme heat, dangerous terrain, and rough waters.
BORDER PATROL RESCUE 4-MONTH-OLD, 18-MONTH-OLD ABANDONED BY SMUGGLERS IN DESERT
Last week, 13 migrants died as they tried to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas. Dozens of other migrants were apprehended both on the US and Mexican side of the border as authorities tried to recover the deceased.
“The currents of the Rio Grande have become more dangerous due to recent and continuing rainfall and more rain is forecasted for the coming week,” Owens said last week. “Despite these adverse conditions, U.S. Border Patrol, Del Rio Sector continues to encounter more than 100+, 200+ attempting to cross the Rio Grande daily.”
In June, 53 migrants died after they were locked in a sweltering tractor trailer in San Antonio.
Nearly 240,000 migrant encounters occurred at the border in May, a record high.
Border Patrol saw 199,976 migrant encounters in July, a slight decrease from the 207,416 encounters in June.