San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
9 migrants die trying to cross turbulent river
AUSTIN, Texas — Nine migrants drowned and 37 others were rescued as they tried to cross the raging waters of the Rio Grande to reach the United States, administration officials said.
The migrants were among scores of people crossing the river last week near Eagle Pass, a town in southern Texas that has become a major entry point for migrants in the last year.
After heavy rains, the Rio Grande is several feet higher than normal, and law enforcement officials have reported making a number of rescues, including some over the last weekend as migrants struggling to keep their heads above water were being dragged by turbulent currents.
Rick Pauza, spokesperson for the Customs and Border Protection office in Laredo, said in a statement that authorities were continuing with the aid of the local fire department and sheriff ’s office to search for possible survivors.
In addition to the nine migrants who died, 37 others were rescued among a total of 53 migrants taken into custody Thursday by U.S. authorities at the scene. Mexican authorities apprehended an additional 39 migrants who were part of the group.
The fire chief in Eagle Pass, Manuel Mello, said fierce currents had swept a number of migrants downstream as they attempted to cross about 1 mile south of the international bridge. Drownings have become an everyday occurrence in that section of the border, typically
Migrants wait to be processed Aug. 26 by U.S. agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas. The area has become a major entry point for migrants.
as many as one a day, and sometimes more, said the chief.
Once a quiet stretch of the border, the Del Rio Border Patrol sector, which includes Eagle Pass, has become one of the busiest crossing points into Texas for migrants.
Since the start of the 2022 fiscal year, agents have intercepted 376,000 migrants there, twice as many as during the same period last year. In July
alone, border agents encountered 50,000 migrants in the Del Rio area, the equivalent of the number that would typically cross over a two- to three-year period.
Fatalities during migrant border crossings are common, but they have been on the rise as tightened U.S. border restrictions, exacerbated by a pandemic-related public health rule, have encouraged more desperate
people to take risks.
In July, 53 migrants died in the back of a suffocating tractortrailer that had no functioning air conditioning, the deadliest smuggling event in the country to date.