Tipsheet

Four Illegal Migrants, Including an Infant, Died Trying to Cross the Rio Grande

Jacob Mathews
Jacob Mathews  |  July 06, 2023 4:45 PM

Four people, including a baby, drowned while crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico to Texas over the weekend, Texas Department of Public Safety officials announced on Monday. 

The baby girl and a woman were pulled from the river near Eagle Pass, Texas, along with two other individuals on Saturday. The individuals were transported to Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center where the infant and woman were pronounced deceased. The other two survived and were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol, according to Lt. Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the department. 

Within 48 hours, two more individuals were discovered. On Sunday, the body of a man was recovered from the treacherous river. On Monday, the body of a woman was found, Olivarez said. The identities of the deceased remain unknown since none possessed identifying documents. 

The Rio Grande, known in Mexico as the El Río Bravo, meaning "the angry river" or "the fierce river" has been a hot spot for many illegal immigrant deaths as they attempt to cross the border into the U.S. These bodies were found in the same area that nine other deceased migrants were pulled from the dangerous river in September last year, AP News reported. 

According to The Texas Tribune, lawmakers have allocated billions in the past few years to protect the border. Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) unveiled a plan to place floating marine barriers, or buoys, along hotspots in the Rio Grande River in an attempt to discourage illegal migrants by making it impossible to cross the river.

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The buoy strategy is the latest in Abbott’s attempts to stop illegal immigrants from coming to Texas in the overwhelming border crisis.

Over the weekend, Abbott sent another busload of migrants from the southern border to Los Angeles, part of a program that buses migrants to so-called “sanctuary cities,” places where illegal immigrants have additional protections.