WESLACO, Texas — Summer may be just a few days away, but the heat has already taken a toll on people, particularly migrants traveling through South Texas ranchlands.
U.S. Border Patrol agents are noticing an uptick in heat-related rescues while expecting more people trying to cross the border during the hot months.
Scrambling to get migrants to safety, Border Patrol agents working near the Falfurrias, Texas checkpoint were captured in a video rendering first aid to four migrants last week.
“Get ready for the female to go man, get ready for the female to go!” said one agent as they prepared to load the group onto an ambulance.
Scenes like the ones captured on that video are common for Border Patrol, especially during hot days where temperatures easily reach a hundred degrees.
“With the heat that we experience in South Texas, these type of incidents – unfortunately – will continue to occur,” said Special Operations Supervisor for Border Patrol RGV Sector Dustin Araujo.
Araujo said agents are encountering more people in distress. That same week, at least 29 people had to be admitted into local hospitals. “Getting access for medical personnel is difficult. Often times Border Patrol agents are the only people in the area that are available to rescue these subjects,” he said.
The bodies of 13 migrants have been recovered in Brooks County so far this year, according to the South Texas Human Rights Center. And it’s not just migrants trying to bypass the border checkpoints who are in danger. Another video posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection published days earlier showed a chopper lifting seven children and five women to safety; migrants who had just crossed the Rio Grande.
“Overall, this fiscal year, Border Patrol agents throughout the nation have rescued over 3,000 individuals,” Araujo said. Compare that to 4,307 rescues in all fiscal year 2018. Araujo said river rescues alone are up 900%.
In some cases, the public may have the opportunity to save the lives of migrants, who are many times being smuggled as cargo, like those discovered inside an 18-wheeler at a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio two summers ago.
“Call 9-1-1, because there’s a good chance those aliens are going to be placed in perilous situations where they’ll be in the back of a semi-truck or forced to walk around the checkpoints in the harsh environment,” Araujo said.
Another reason Border Patrol reminds the public that if you see something, say something.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: