A 9-year-old Mexican girl drowned while trying to cross Rio Grande to Texas this week with her family, according to federal officials.
He was the third Mexican immigrant to drown on the border in less than two weeks. Last week, two migrants died near the border town of Laredo, Texas.
The girl was crossing the country on Eagle Pass on Saturday with her mother and 3-year-old brother when the three started fighting in the water, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman told the Post on Friday.
“All three migrants were unconscious and reached the shore on an island in the river when passersby signaled agents of the nearby Border Patrol,” said spokesman Dennis Smith.
BORDER PATROL IN THE VALLEY OF RIO GRANDE RELEASING ILLEGAL CRUISES TO THE USA WITHOUT COURT DATE
The agents, who patrolled Rio Grande in the area, began administering first aid while bringing migrants to the coast.
There, they joined the Eagle Pass Emergency Medical Service team and were able to revive the mother and son.
But the girl could not be saved. She never regained consciousness and was later declared dead, said Smith.
“The children were Mexican; the mother is from Guatemala, ”said the authorities.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this child,” said sector chief patrol officer Del Rio, Austin L. Skero II, in a statement announcing the death.
“During these difficult times, our agents remain resilient and I am extremely proud of their efforts to preserve human life.”
GOP SENATORS MEET TRAFFICKING, MEMBERS OF THE CARTEL ON THE BORDER DURING THE EXCURSION IN RIO GRANDE AT NIGHT
Smugglers have been doing a thriving business on the border, contributing to an increase in crossings.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was one of a group of lawmakers who crossed the border this week and, on Friday, he tweeted that smugglers shamelessly greeted him from across the Rio Grande.
“This is Mexico and you can see that there are three smugglers right there on the Mexican side looking at us. They are pointing their lanterns at us, they are shouting at us,” tweeted Cruz, narrating a poorly lit footage showing a stretch of border to night.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Mexican cartels control who crosses the border,” said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who also visited the border, in her tweet on Friday.
“A young Guatemalan mother, sitting on an aluminum blanket with her 1-year-old son, told me that she paid smugglers $ 6,000,” said Collins.