Border Agents Train for Migrant Drownings in Texas Gulf as Title 42 End Approaches
RANDY CLARK25 Apr 2023104
3:25
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — The Border Patrol conducted a multi-agency water safety exercise along the southern edge of South Padre Island to address the dangers posed to migrants. Agents trained to rescue migrants attempting to enter the U.S. via the Texas Gulf Coast. Monday’s exercise involved CBP Air and Marine units; Rio Grande Valley Sector’s Border, Search, Trauma, and Rescue Team (BORSTAR); and the United States Coast Guard.
A post-event panel discussion conducted by the multi-agency participants highlighted the danger of drowning faced by migrants in coastal waterways. The exercise is part of the Border Patrol’s Annual Border Safety Initiative (BSI). According to CBP, the BSI is part of a bi-national strategy aimed at reducing migrant deaths and making the border region safer for agents, border residents, and communities. The initiative also aims to minimize the life-threatening injuries and deaths associated with illegal border crossings and human smuggling.
CBP, Border Patrol and Coast Guard crews train for migrant drownings in the Gulf of Mexico. (U.S. Border Patrol/Rio Grande Valley Sector)
The BSI was implemented in 1998 and has been expanded to include the Missing Migrant Program which helps to identify the remains of deceased migrants. The exercise comes as the agency prepares for the end of the Title 42 COVID-19 expulsion authority and the anticipated surge in migrant crossings as a result.
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2023/04/25/border-agents-train-for-migrant-drownings-in-texas-gulf-as-title-42-end-approaches/
