LAREDO, Texas – On Tuesday, May 17, 2016, Border Patrol agents from the Laredo South Station working with the Government of Mexico (GoM) rescued a man in distress from the Rio Grande River.
At about 8:00 p.m., Laredo South Border Patrol agents observed the man yelling out for assistance from the middle of the river. Border Patrol agents noticed him slowly losing his grip on a branch he was holding on to. Agents immediately contacted the Border Patrol International Liaison unit, who made contact with the Government of Mexico (GoM) to respond to the scene. Through coordinated efforts with CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO), the Mexican Protection Civil (MPC) was able to deploy in an effort to rescue him.
The MPC was successful in reaching the man and brought him to the U.S. Riverbanks. He was evaluated by a Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on the scene and was subsequently transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
“This rescue clearly demonstrates the exceptional level of coordination between Federal, State and local agencies on both sides of the border to keep our communities safe. We recently held our Border Safety Initiative event where we discussed the dangers of crossing illegally, I commend our Border Patrol agents and all first responders involved, for their quick actions to rescue and save this person’s life,” said Mario Martinez, Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent.
The Border Safety Initiative (BSI), a humanitarian, bi-national strategy designed to reduce migrant deaths. The U.S. Border Patrol strives to prevent deaths and increase rescues of illegal immigrants who fall prey to callous, unscrupulous human smugglers who place them in dangerous situations to fend for themselves.