U.S. Border Patrol Hosts Border Safety Initiative Event
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
United States Border Patrol Del Rio Sector Chief Austin L. Skero hosted a “Safety on the Border Initiative” event on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas to focus on preventing undocumented immigrants’ deaths and highlight the Border Patrol’s role in rescuing individuals in danger.
Attending the “Safety on the Border Initiative” included Mexican Consul Ismael Naveja Macias, Guatemala Consul Representative, Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr., Eagle Pass Port of Entry Customs and Border Protection Director Paul Del Rincon, local partners and allies of Border Patrol, Border Patrol and CBP officers, and local, regional, and national news media.
Del Rio Sector Chief Austin Skero welcomed and thanked all the attendees to the “Safety on the Border Initiative” event. Skero stated the purpose of the Border Safety event is to educate the public and focus on the prevention of undocumented immigrants’ deaths and the daily role Border Patrol officers encounter along the U.S.-Mexico border in rescuing migrants in danger.
Skero noted that Del Rio Sector has done 1,600 rescues to date this year. He added that the total number of deaths of migrants in the Del Rio Sector is 66 to date, mostly due from drownings, dehydration, hypothermia, or illness. The message to undocumented immigrants is not attempt to cross the Rio Grande River due to the many dangers they encounter in their journey.
Skero added the Del Rio Sector currently apprehends between 1,000 to 1,040 undocumented immigrants per day and for fiscal year 2020-2021 the total is currently close to 161,000 to date, record numbers in the Del Rio Sector.
In replying to a question from news media, Chief Skero stated there are many reasons for the increase of apprehensions this year in the Del Rio Sector, but principally the three major reasons are the cartels control everything that crosses the border, the State of Coahuila is a relatively safe state and attracts migrants from many countries seeking to enter illegally the United States, and the consequences applied for illegal entry to undocumented immigrants is not what it once was.
Following the press conference, Border Patrol held a simulated rescue of an individual drowning in the Rio Grande River to highlight the dangers encountered by undocumented immigrants and the role Border Patrol plays on a daily basis rescuing migrants in danger.
