Nine deaths prompt Border Patrol warning against illegal crossing

• Intense weather has made the Rio Grande crossing “more dangerous,” Customs and Border Protection officers warned.
• At least nine migrants have passed away in the attempt to make the illegal crossing through dangerous currents.
• Border Patrol has issued a “warning of extreme importance” for migrants to “please avoid crossing illegally.”

Migrants attempting to cross illegally to the U.S.-Mexico border have been issued a warning by the Border Patrol after at least nine individuals died during the dangerous passage through the Rio Grande.

“The currents of the Rio Grande have become more dangerous due to recent and continuing rainfall and more rain is forecasted for the coming week,” said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens of the Del Rio Sector.

Owens has issued a “warning of extreme importance” since the “Del Rio Sector continues to encounter more than 100+, 200+ attempting to cross the Rio Grande daily.”

A large group of migrants had tried to make the crossing earlier in the week, resulting in at least eight deaths. CBP agents had discovered six bodies while Mexican authorities discovered two. CBP reported the ninth death on Saturday.

The Border Patrol’s warning stated, “In an effort to prevent further loss of life, we are asking everyone to please avoid crossing illegally.”

U.S. authorities have apprehended 53 migrants, including 37 who were rescued from the water by Border Patrol agents. At the same time, Mexican authorities also apprehended 39 migrants.

For this fiscal year, the Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio sector reported over 200 migrant deaths in August.

Crossings through the U.S.-Mexico border still continue to plague enforcement officers of American immigration. According to the CBP, there are over 200,000 encounters each month. During this fiscal year, over 500,000 illegal migrants slipped through immigration enforcement measures.

Source: Fox News