A search continued Saturday for an Army National Guard soldier who went lacking after leaping into the Rio Grande in Texas to save two migrants the day earlier than, officers stated.
The identify of the soldier, assigned to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star initiative that he stated was geared toward unlawful border crossings and medicines, has not been launched.
The soldier went into the water to try to save two migrants from Mexico who appeared to be drowning close to Eagle Pass, a metropolis on the border, the Texas Military Department stated in a assertion.
The search “will continue until we have exhausted all available resources,” the division stated.
The two migrants are in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it stated.
The navy division assertion additionally stated that “initial reports from the Texas Rangers have determined that the two migrants were involved in illicit transnational narcotics trafficking.”
A request for extra particulars from the Texas Department of Public Safety was not instantly returned Saturday.
Abbott introduced the launch of Operation Lone Star in March 2021, an initiative that makes use of Texas National Guard troops in addition to state legislation enforcement officers on the Texas border.
It has been criticized by attorneys and others as unconstitutional and unlawful. In September, greater than 200 folks had been ordered launched after being detained for weeks with out costs.
Abbott, a Republican working for re-election in November, has stated that it’s mandatory to safe the border due to what he stated was federal inaction.