Honduran Woman Gives Birth on Mexico-U.S. Border Bridge

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A Honduran woman gave birth on a Mexico-U.S. border bridge connecting the cities of Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas on Saturday, authorities said.

The Honduran woman was identified as Leidy Hernández, 24 years old. The Associated Press reported that Hernández gave birth on the Mexican side of the U.S. border bridge.

She was said to have been using the U.S. border bridge as an illegal pathway to reach the U.S. side. However, the Honduran woman became unsteady and had to get help from nearby pedestrians, who are also trying to cross the border from the Mexican side.

Mexico's National Immigration Institute said the incident happened that afternoon on the Ignacio Zaragoza border bridge, also known as "Los Tomates."

Read also: CBP, ICE Report Thousands of Border Arrests and Seizures

The immigration institute also said it received a notice from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials saying there was a woman "trying to enter the country improperly" from that part of the border.

With the Tamaulipas Civil Protection support, Hernández and her child were eventually brought to a hospital in Matamoros and were given free care. They were both expected to be okay, said a report from New York Daily News.

Hernández was reportedly one of the hundreds of migrants seeking shelter in improvised riverside camps while awaiting hearings on visas and asylums. Some more migrants were waiting in rented rooms in Matamoros.

Thousands of legal border crossings have been denied by the Trump administration as it noted that there wasn't enough space for migrants. The administration also told people to wait for court dates under the "Remain in Mexico" policy.

Honduran Woman's Child Has Right to Mexican Citizenship

Since the woman gave birth on the Mexican side of the border, her child will be given the right to Mexican citizenship.

Hernández wasn't the first woman in this situation. Other women have been looking for ways to enter the U.S. while they were pregnant.

Last month, another woman also gave birth on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. She just crossed the river when the U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived, ABC News noted.

Her smugglers yelled at her to keep moving, but she fell to the ground and began to give birth. They were also in good health as border patrol agents assisted her in her delivery. She was left unnamed because of fear of retribution.

Poverty, Violence Forced Honduran Woman Out of Home Country

These women are just some of many parents driven out of Central America by poverty and violence. We Are Mitu also said in an article that people started to grow more desperate while they are forced into camps in Mexico. 

Related Story: Record Heat Along Arizona Border Results in Rising Migrant Deaths

Crossings may not have reached as high as it did in previous years, but holding facilities for migrants are approaching capacity, the report said. 

Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, told ABC News that the strict immigration policies forced women into "great danger."

"They must really think before they do what they do and risk the life of their unborn child," she said.

It should not come as a surprise that amid these difficult situations, more and more women have given birth in less than the ideal setups that could put their lives at risk.