Bodies of 2 migrants, including 3-year-old boy, pulled from Rio Grande

The bodies of two migrants, including a 3-year-old boy, were pulled from the Rio Grande this week after they are believed to have drowned while attempting to illegally cross the border, Texas officials said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Tactical Marine Unit discovered a 3-year-old boy dead in the Rio Grande around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving a report that a child had been swept away while trying to cross the river with his family, DPS said.

The boy was located just north of Eagle Pass — where more than 4,000 migrants crossed into the US on Wednesday, driving the city to declare a state of emergency.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

On Thursday morning, around 8:40 p.m., DPS’ marine unit discovered another body submerged in the Rio Grande.

Both bodies were found north of the controversial, 1,000-foot-long marine barrier set up by Texas officials to deter border crossings. 

The Maverick County sheriff’s office is handling the investigation, DPS said.

Earlier this month, Texas was ordered by a federal judge to remove the barriers. However, they have remained in place as the state appeals the decision.

In July, the Justice Department sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing he did not have the authority to order the placement of the river buoys. Federal prosecutors argued the string of large, orange buoys are a “threat to human life.”

Abbot has refuted the DOJ’s claims, arguing the barriers are necessary “to protect lives from the chaos caused by President Biden’s open border policies,” he said after the federal judge’s decision.

On Wednesday, Abbott accused the Biden administration of cutting razor wire that the Lone Star State had installed in Eagle Pass.

Eagle Pass is currently overrun by migrants after thousands poured in over the border in the popular crossing destination this week.

Texas DPS spokesperson Chris Olivarez said Wednesday that Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. mayor has once again permitted officers to detain migrants crossing the river into the city’s Shelby Park after he declared the park “private property” in June.

In fiscal year 2022, U.S. Border Patrol recorded more than 850 migrant deaths, according to agency data obtained by CBS News.

That figure eclipsed the 546 deaths recorded in fiscal year 202 — and is likely an undercount, officials and experts told the outlet.

Heat exposure has been the leading cause of migrant deaths along the U.S. southern border, followed by drownings.