US Coast Guard rescued eight children in the Rio Grande: the raft they were traveling in deflated

The United States Coast Guard rescued eight children, ranging in age from 6 to 13, last Tuesday night in the Rio Grande River, near McAllen (Texas). These minors were aboard a deflated raft along with an adult, who was presumed to be the smuggler transporting them.

When the crew of a Coast Guard Maritime Safety Team boat discovered the situation, noticing the presence of the authorities, the adult chose to jump into the water and swim to the Mexican side of the river and left the children in a situation of danger when leaving the deflated raft.

Faced with this critical situation, members of the Coast Guard acted quickly to rescue the children and secured them before the raft sank completely. They were later handed over to Customs and Border Protection agents to receive the necessary medical care and be processed in accordance with immigration laws.

Thousands of migrants wander along the Rio Grande

The migratory exodus continues in Ciudad Juárez while thousands of people, newly arrived this week on the train known as La Bestia, are trapped along 10 kilometers of the Rio Grande, which marks the border between Juárez and El Paso, in the hope crossing into the United States.

Among them is Luis Ortiz, who arrived from Venezuela in search of a better future and now faces the difficult situation on the banks of the river. The foreigner told EFE of his concern for the safety of the migrants due to the complexity of the situation when trying to cross to the US side.

Along these 10 kilometers of the border, there are no organized camps and people move around looking for a safe place to cross. Groups of entire families are constantly faced with the uncertainty and challenge of the journey marking each step.

Ortiz expressed the frustration shared by many of the migrants, who feel abandoned by the authorities and face a lack of basic resources such as water, in addition to the constant risk of being intercepted by immigration authorities.

The main challenge for migrants is traveling in groups large enough to deter any attempts by authorities to remove them from the train or detain them on their way to the United States. This strategy, however, is not without danger, as it involves running through the desert to avoid arrest.

The situation is further complicated by the presence of physical barriers and greater surveillance by authorities on both sides of the border. Despite the obstacles, each migrant seeks their own strategy to cross, aware of the risks they face in the attempt, EFE noted.

This growing migratory exodus occurs in a context marked by the presidential elections in both the United States and Mexico, and the significant increase in irregular migrants detected by the Mexican government in 2023, which reached a record of 782,000 people.

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