More Migrants Drowned Trying To Cross The Border Than Reported As Texas Cracked Down On Immigration: Report

A new investigation has revealed many more migrants than originally reported drowned along the Rio Grande, particularly near Eagle Pass, Texas, while trying to make it into the U.S.

Data obtained by different outlets shows that at least 1,107 people drowned while attempting to cross the river between 2017 to 2023. The figures peaked in 2022 as the number of border crossings surged. More alarmingly, the number of women and children among the victims has also risen, with 2022 marking a record year for female casualties, and over 75 children drowning during the period.

Eagle Pass has become a focal point in the debate over immigration enforcement, largely due to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative aimed at deterring illegal crossings. The project, which includes razor wire, shipping containers, and buoys in the water along the border, has been criticized by some as exacerbating the danger for migrants.

Interviews conducted with asylum seekers and experts by The Washington Post, Lighthouse Reports, and Mexico's El Universal indicate that the increased barriers have pushed migrants into more perilous areas of the river, contributing to a shift in drowning locations.

From 2017 to 2020, most drownings were near downtown Eagle Pass, but after 2021, fatalities were increasingly found in more isolated areas, such as near Heavenly Farms, where a significant rise in deaths occurred following the installation of new barriers.

While the Biden administration and Abbott's office continue to clash over immigration policy, each side blames the other for the spike in deaths. Abbott's office insists that Operation Lone Star is deterring crossings, while the White House points to a more "balanced" approach that has reduced border crossings by over 55 percent since new asylum restrictions were introduced in June.

For migrants like the Farías family, crossing the Rio Grande seemed to be the only viable option. Having fled Venezuela and journeyed through South America, they reached the U.S. border in November 2023. Tragically, while attempting to cross the river, the family became victims of its powerful current. For instance, Angelica, a 4-year-old girl, was the sole survivor, found clinging to her father's body.

The increased presence of U.S. and Mexican security forces, as well as smuggling organizations exploiting migrants' desperation, has further complicated the situation. Smugglers spread the message that minors were often released quickly and allowed to remain in the U.S. By 2014, the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border surged, prompting President Barack Obama to declare it an "urgent humanitarian situation."

Concretely, the Lone Star state continues to deal with the growing crisis of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border. During Fiscal Year 2024 that ended in September, officials in Texas reported a total of 991,149 illegal crossings, but more than 60,000 of those were classified as children that were travelling alone. Last month, 3,896 minors were reported travelling without an adult in the state of Texas after a Nov. 26 report, and that number will only get bigger.

Sister Isabel Turcios, who runs the Frontera Digna shelter in Piedras Negras, estimates that about 4,000 migrants arrived in the city daily throughout 2023. She said most headed straight for the river, fearing robbery, violence, or deportation by Mexican officials, and eager to leave quickly.

On the U.S. side, they faced large shipping containers, massive buoys in the water, and armed troops—part of Abbott's Operation Lone Star, which he launched after criticizing the Joe Biden administration for not doing enough to curb illegal immigration. On the Mexican side of the border, migrants encountered more soldiers patrolling the border.

Reporters mapped 250 miles of state and federal security infrastructure, revealing that 40% of the barriers under Operation Lone Star were concentrated near Eagle Pass. This included a fence near Heavenly Farms, where more bodies were discovered in 2023.

The data on drowning deaths alone does not definitively link the new barriers to the fatalities, as the location of the bodies doesn't always reflect the exact crossing points. However, interviews with migrants and shelter operators suggest that many are choosing to cross in more isolated areas of the river, away from Shelby Park, where troops are concentrated near downtown Eagle Pass.

For many migrants, crossing the river seemed like the fastest way to reach the United States. The families joined hands in a human chain and waded into the Rio Grande with other migrants, but as they moved deeper into the water, panic erupted, and they were quickly separated. Immigrant advocates in Mexico also reported that Mexican officials and organized crime groups were preventing migrants from accessing border bridges unless they had an appointment.