EAGLE PASS, Texas (CHATNEWSTV) — A man died after jumping into a canal to evade arrest by Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The incident occurred early in the morning on June 14, when agents were tracking a group of suspected undocumented migrants approximately 17.5 miles northwest of the Eagle Pass Bridge Port of Entry.
Border Patrol personnel monitoring remote cameras first detected the group around 5:30 a.m., several miles east of the Rio Grande River. At about 6:00 a.m., agents arrived in the area and began their search. Nearly two hours later, at 7:51 a.m., agents located and apprehended four individuals determined to be undocumented migrants. Two other members of the group attempted to flee by swimming across a nearby canal.
As agents approached, they observed the two men in the water. One successfully swam across the canal and escaped, while the second individual began to struggle midway through. Agents reportedly urged the man to swim back so they could assist, but he did not respond. Moments later, they lost sight of him as he was carried downstream by the canal’s current. A call for assistance was made to the Eagle Pass Fire Department at 7:53 a.m.
Emergency personnel arrived by 8:07 a.m., but despite a three-hour search, the man was not located. The next day, on June 15, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office personnel recovered a body 4.7 miles downstream from where Border Patrol agents last saw the man. A Guatemalan national later surrendered himself to sheriff’s deputies near the scene and confirmed he was with the deceased when they attempted to escape.
The man who surrendered described the deceased as the guide for the group of migrants. He recounted how they had been hiding in the brush when the guide alerted them to the presence of immigration officers and urged them to flee. As they swam, the survivor said he heard the guide calling for help and saw agents signaling for the man to return. He chose to leave the area and surrendered to authorities the following day. The description he provided matched the body recovered from the canal, though CBP has been unable to identify the deceased.
The body was handed over to the Webb County Medical Examiner, and a local justice of the peace ruled no autopsy was necessary given the apparent cause of death. The CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is currently reviewing the incident, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General has been notified.
The four individuals apprehended during the operation were taken to the Del Rio Sector soft-sided facility for processing.
