Border Patrol Agent Saves Drowning Migrant Child, Woman Rescued After Falling From Southern Border Wall

CBS Dallas/Fort Worth

June 29, 2021

A child, injured woman and 26-year-old Mexican national were all rescued by Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector agents and their partners as they tried to enter Texas illegally this weekend.

On June 26, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents working near Penitas, Texas, followed footprints leading away from the river further into the United States. Agents came across a child in distress, as he was attempting to stay above water while trying to cross a pond. The child, who was from Guatemala, grabbed onto a branch but was unable to remain afloat. Without hesitation, an agent tied a rope around his waist and entered the pond to rescue the migrant. Both the agent and the boy were assessed by the Penitas Fire Department, where it was determined they required further medical treatment and were transported to the hospital. They were both medically cleared and released later that day.

The next day, in Havana, Texas, U.S. Coast Guard patrolling the area rescued the man from Mexico who had jumped into the Rio Grande. He had started to struggle to stay above water as he was swimming toward the U.S. He was medically assessed and turned over to Border Patrol for a final disposition.

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