Border Patrol Agent Saves Drowning Migrant Child, Woman Rescued After Falling From Southern Border Wall
EDINBURG, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A child, injured woman and 26-year-old Mexican national were all rescued by Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector agents and their partners as they tried to enter Texas illegally this weekend.
On June 26, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents working near Penitas, Texas, followed footprints leading away from the river further into the United States. Agents came across a child in distress, as he was attempting to stay above water while trying to cross a pond. The child, who was from Guatemala, grabbed on to a branch but was unable to remain afloat. Without hesitation, an agent tied a rope around his waist and entered the pond to rescue the migrant. Both the agent and the boy were assessed by the Penitas Fire Department, where it was determined they required further medical treatment and were transported to the hospital. They were both medically cleared and released later that day.
The next day, in Havana, Texas, U.S. Coast Guard patrolling the area rescued the man from Mexico who had jumped into the Rio Grande. He had started to struggle to stay above water as he was swimming toward the U.S. He was medically assessed and turned over to Border Patrol for a final disposition.
On June 28, Brownsville Border Patrol Station agents encountered a group of five migrants near Lincoln Park and the levee in Brownsville. At the time of apprehension, the migrants told agents about an injured woman they left behind in the brush. She had hurt her leg falling off the border wall while illegally entering the U.S. Agents quickly began to search and found the 39-year-old Mexican national in a dense brush area an hour later. Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technicians medically screened her and determined she required further medical treatment. The agents mounted the woman on a backboard and carried her out of the brush. She was then transported to the hospital to evaluate her injuries and further evaluation.
Border Patrol processed all subjects accordingly.