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Mexico City, September 28, 2004 – The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza expressed concern today at the five lives lost due to drowning incidents in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo recently. “We share the grief of the families of those who died last in week in the dangerously high waters of the river that divides us – two Border Patrol agents whose boat capsized and later three women from Guanajuato who were swept away before they could be saved.”
The Ambassador referred to the two incidents as double tragedies and warned that the river conditions are very dangerous now.
“Last week, the Border Patrol from McAllen, Texas found the bodies of agents Travis Attaway and Jeremy Wilson, who drowned when their boat overturned,” he said. “A few days later, when a group of migrants tried to swim the river, three women drowned in the current. While not all the facts are clear yet, Border Patrol agents have often risked their lives to save migrants. The smugglers who send people, such as those women, into the dangerous river have no such credibility.”
The Embassy is staying informed of the on-going investigation into the September 23 incident where the Guanajuato women drowned trying to swim back to the Mexican side. Videotapes are being reviewed, and records of telephone conversations alerting Mexican authorities in an effort to save lives are also part of the documentation.
While we cannot comment regarding on-going investigations, the U.S. government investigates thoroughly all incidents involving accusations against Border Patrol agents.
Ambassador Garza noted, “As dangerous as the desert heat or the roiling river waters are, the greatest threat comes from the smugglers. The ‘coyotes,’ who profit from sending men, women and children into harm’s way again and again, are the cause of more tragedies.”
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