Texas National Guard soldier dies along Rio Grande during migrant rescue attempt

A Texas National Guard soldier was killed Friday as he tried to rescue migrants who were stuck in the stream while they struggled to make their way across the border, state officials said. hope.

The soldier, identified only as a 22-year-old man, was pulled from the Rio Grande by a stream of water near the city of Eagle Pass, which borders Mexico. He was part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s border crackdown plan, Operation Lone Star, according to Washington Posts.

The soldier was one of 10 people who drowned along the Rio Grande due to strong currents, said Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The Texas Department of the Army initially denied the soldier was dead, saying it was working to find him even though it hadn’t heard from him for several hours. The mayor of Eagle Pass, Rolando Salinas, confirms the death of Upload.

“There were too many people crossing, many people holding children and elderly women were crossing and we didn’t know if they could swim,” Salinas said. “Most people cross when the water is low, but in Spanish we call it Rio Bravo because it’s really unpredictable.”