Honduran Migrant Drowns in Gravel Pit After Fleeing Texas National Guardsmen Near U.S.-Mexico Border

Border Patrol agents retrieved the body of a man who drowned in a water-filled gravel pit after he ran from Texas National Guard soldiers along the U.S.-Mexico border last week.

In a news release on Tuesday, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the man was part of a larger group observed running away from the soldiers near Eagle Pass Friday night.

The CBP noted that the man and another individual dived into a gravel pit that was full of water. The Texas National Guard soldiers then called the Eagle Pass South Station for help. Del Rio Border Patrol agents and the Eagle Pass Fire Department immediately responded to assist with the rescue.

Body of a Honduran Man Recovered by Border Patrol Agents in Texas

The CBP said one man was found on the edge of the gravel pit in need of help and taken to the hospital. Agents said the other man did not resurface.

The Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) dive team was called to assist, and they recovered the man's body from the gravel pit Saturday morning.

The CBP did not disclose the man's age, name, or nationality, but the Houston Chronicle reported that he was from Honduras.

For migrants in the region, drowning is a common cause of death. Since 2014, the International Organization for Migration has recorded 1,810 drowning deaths among migrants in the Americas.

Migrant Dies After Falling Off Border Wall

Back in December, a migrant died after falling from a border wall and suffering severe head injuries. A National Guardsman using an infrared camera at Sunland Park, New Mexico, witnessed a group of alleged migrants climbing over a border barrier approximately seven miles from the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

The migrant, a Mexican citizen, remained motionless after he fell. He was eventually found by a border agent stationed at the Border Patrol station in Santa Teresa. He was treated for two days while being watched by CBP officers, but he was later declared dead.

The International Agency for Migration of the United Nations reported in December that at least 650 deaths of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico were recorded last year, a new high since the organization began collecting data in 2014.

In 2020, the CBP confirmed 247 deaths at the southwest border, the majority of which happened in Texas. In 2021, CBP conducted about 13,000 search and rescue missions along the southwest border.

President Joe Biden has maintained a Trump-era policy that forces migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border and seek asylum to wait in Mexico while processing their claims.

Biden suspended the Migration Protection Protocols, or "Remain in Mexico" program on his first day in office. But a federal judge in Texas ordered it reinstated in August.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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