Texas National Guard soldier drowns during attempted migrant rescue...WaPo

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/04/22/texas-soldier-drowns-border/

Texas National Guard soldier drowns during attempted migrant rescue

The Guard member was deployed to Eagle Pass, Tex., on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star

By Arelis R. Hernández

Today at 1:17 p.m. EDT

A migrant family begins crossing a low-flowing the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on March 29, 2021. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

A Texas National Guard soldier drowned early Friday in the Rio Grande while trying to rescue migrants struggling with swift currents as they crossed the border, according to state officials.

Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Guard member was part of the border security initiative Operation Lone Star, which was ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott (R). Olivarez said the Guard member was carried away by the current during the rescue attempt near Eagle Pass, Tex., a border city about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Powerful river currents have resulted in 10 drownings this week alone, Olivarez said. Eagle Pass officials said that in recent weeks they have seen an increase in crossings from Piedras Negras, Mexico, the city on the opposite side of the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass.

No other details were immediately available. The Texas Military Department said it would issue a statement shortly.

This is a developing story.