Border Patrol Agents Rescue Aliens, Find One Dead, Near Eagle Pass
DEL RIO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued a family of undocumented immigrants, one of whom passed away, and found 14 others who were lost in the cold.
“Crossing the border illegally poses multiple hazards,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Felix Chavez. “Sadly another human life was lost yesterday while attempting to illegally enter the United States.”
In the morning hours of Dec. 7, Eagle Pass Station agents were relayed a distress call, originating from the local 911 system, from a group of three subjects lost on a remote ranch. The caller stated they had been separated from a larger group of migrants and that one subject was suffering in the extreme cold.
When agents located the three individuals one had already passed away. The Mexican Consulate was notified and Maverick County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area to take custody of the body.
At the scene, agents also determined that more subjects were potentially lost in the surrounding area. After a few hours of searching, agents from the Eagle Pass Station, Eagle Pass South Station, Uvalde Station, and the Del Rio Sector Border Patrol Special Operations Detachment located 14 other undocumented immigrants crossing though the ranch. With frigid temperatures, and the first substantial snowfall in Eagle Pass in for than 30 years, agents potentially saved the subjects’ lives.
The group was transported to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center for treatment, steming from exposure to the cold. Upon medical release, they will be transported to the Eagle Pass South Border Patrol Station for processing as per CBP guidelines.
For fiscal year 2017, which ended on Sept. 30, Del Rio Sector documented 17 border deaths. The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the Joint Task Force-West South Texas Corridor, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. To report suspicious activity call the Del Rio Sector’s toll free number at 1-866-511-8727.
