Since Thursday, US Border Patrol agents have found three bodies of people who attempted to cross the southern border into the US, a Customs and Border Protection news release says.
On Thursday, the McAllen Border Patrol station responded to a call of a dead person in the Rio Grande near Havana, Texas, and helped recover the body with the help of the US Coast Guard, CBP said.
Two days later, a Coast Guard unit patrolling the river near Mission, Texas, contacted McAllen Border Patrol station about another dead person in the Rio Grande, Border Patrol said.
Both bodies were transported to the Hidalgo County morgue, the release said.
On Sunday, agents patrolling the ranchland in Kenedy County found another person dead in the brush, CBP said. That body was transported to the medical examiner's office.
"The Rio Grande Valley Sector currently has multiple campaigns focused on rescues and danger awareness, such as 'Operation Big Rig' and 'No Se Arriesgue' to combat smuggling and ultimately save lives," CBP said in the release.
In late June, images of a man and his 23-month-old daughter lying face down in the waters of the Rio Grande shocked the nation, serving as a haunting reminder of the dangers many face when embarking on the risky journey.
The pair from El Salvador drowned as they were crossing from Mexico into Texas near Brownsville.
Advocates have long been warning that deaths at the border could increase as migrants are forced to cross through more dangerous areas, influenced by US policies that make it harder for those seeking asylum to turn themselves in at ports of entry.
