Source: Breitbart
Authorities in Mexico and the U.S. are documenting a spike in drownings as a growing number of Central American migrants try to cross the Rio Grande.
In the border state of Coahuila, authorities documented a total of 44 drownings since the start of 2021. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by state officials, the drownings have taken place in Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuna. In Piedras Negras, authorities documented 24 drownings in three months, while in 2020, they documented 28 for the entire year.
A Laredo Sector Marine Unit agents pulls a Mexican migrant from a creek near the Rio Grande. (Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Laredo Sector)
The most recent drowning took place on Tuesday afternoon when a 25-year-old Salvadoran migrant jumped into the river to escape Mexican police officers.
Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuna abut the Texas border cities of Eagle Pass and Del Rio. The border river is minimally fenced in these areas, leaving the Rio Grande as the only obstacle for drug traffickers and human smugglers who are profiting from the recent spike.
The rapid increase in drownings comes as authorities see greater numbers of migrants crossing the river to Texas. The Del Rio Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, which encompasses both cities, documented a 300 percent spike in apprehensions in comparison to 2020.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “C.E Herrera” from Coahuila.
