A 2-month-old baby was found on Tuesday at the Texas border by Rio Grande City Border Patrol agents, according to Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez.
In a post shared on X, previously Twitter, Chavez said the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Agents found the 2-month-old abandoned at the border and included a blurred image of the little boy. The heartbreaking scene comes amid a growing crisis at the border as a surge of unaccompanied children and families continue to attempt to cross into the U.S.
In addition, the discovery of the child led Chavez to call attention to how children are continuously exploited by human smugglers, also known as coyotes.
“This is a chilling reminder of how children are exploited by human smugglers and criminal organizations every day,” Chavez wrote on X.
Getty Images
This is not the first time that a minor has been found at the border. On August 23, two brothers had also been abandoned in Rio Grande City. They were a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy and both came from Chiapas, Mexico, and were left to fend for themselves near the Rio Grande River, according to Texas DPS Spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez.
This comes after a growing concern of incidents that have left many migrants injured, dehydrated or even dead after attempting to cross into the U.S.
As many more migrants continue to cross and attempt to cross into the U.S. through the Rio Grande River and other bodies of water, drowning continues to be the main cause of death for people migrating worldwide with more than 3,700 documented in total in 2022, according to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project.
According to The Associated Press, Mexican authorities said in August that two bodies had been recovered from the Rio Grande River including one that was caught in a floating barrier Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had installed in July.
The wrecking ball-sized buoys were installed as part of Republican Abbott’s multibillion-dollar effort to secure the U.S. border with Mexico while other efforts include razor-wire fencing and arresting migrants on trespassing charges.
Since the installation, many have criticized Abbott’s efforts including Representative Sylvia Garcia who called the barriers inhumane.
“Appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border,” Garcia, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X. “The situation’s reality is unsettling as these buoys’ true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW!”
In addition, the U.S. Justice Department is suing Abbott over the barrier, after stating that it violates federal law and raises humanitarian concerns for migrants crossing into the country from Mexico.
“We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement in late July.
While Abbott maintains his decision to deploy the buoys, insisting that Texas had the authority to enforce border security measures on its border.
Despite the legality of the buoys, migrants continue to face dangerous obstacles attempting to cross into the U.S.
Newsweek has reached out to Abbott and the Rio Grande City Border Patrol for additional comment.