Del Rio Sector Agents Rescue 14 Stranded in the Rio Grande River

(Press Release) – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Station rescued a group of people stranded in the Rio Grande River, Dec. 9.

“We continue to rescue people who fail to heed our warnings of just how dangerous crossing illegally can be,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz. “If our agents had not been there, these families might have seen a different fate.”

Agents from the Del Rio Station were conducting line watch operations along the Rio Grande River when they discovered several individuals that appeared to be family units, attempting to cross the river. The swift water current became overwhelming, causing the people to become stranded in the middle of the river. Responding agents acted swiftly and utilized water rescue devices to safely bring the adults and children across.

The families consisted of nine adults and five children, ages 1 to 8 from the countries of Haiti, Mexico, and Chile. No injuries were sustained during the incident and all were transported to the Del Rio Station for processing, per CBP guidelines.