River rescues and barbed wire: a day at the US-Mexico border
"It's sad to see a baby in those conditions, that it's the mother's life or her daughter's life," said Urbina.
Migrants from Venezuela crawl through a hole they made in the razor wire to cross into Eagle Pass, Texas on September 25, 2023. (AFP)
NewVision Reporter
@NewVision
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EAGLE PASS - The sun had barely risen above Eagle Pass, Texas when the migrants wading across the Rio Grande from Mexico had a crisis on their hands.
They had tied their belts together to create a makeshift rope to hold onto but it broke, and the river was sweeping away a mother and her one-year-old baby. Chelsea from Nicaragua catches a bag from family members after crawling through a hole made in the razor wire to cross into Eagle Pass, Texas on September 25, 2023
Such harrowing scenes are a daily occurrence on the southern US border, where thousands are crossing each day in search of their American dream despite the dangers to themselves, efforts by Texas authorities to keep them out, and gridlock on the national level about how to respond to the influx.
The child was grabbed by another man deep in the river, and the mother reached the shore as US authorities just watched. The migrants passed a rope to baby Olga and Yonder Urbina, temporary relief to the day's already high-strung start.
Undaunted
"It's sad to see a baby in those conditions, that it's the mother's life or her daughter's life," said Urbina.
But the calm that had just washed over the migrants was short-lived. A migrant family from Venezuela reacts after breaking through a razor wire barricade into the United States
Greeting them on the US side of the Rio Grande was an inextricable tangle of concertina wire, which Texas authorities reinforce daily.
But turning back is not an option, and no obstacle discourages them -- not this far into their journey, with the end goal of reaching US soil so close.
They eventually find a section of border wall made of shipping containers. Rather than being deterred, they simply climb over.
Just another day at the border
Meanwhile, back at the river, more migrants cross, and Border Patrol agents prepare their boats for river rescues.
Those on the US side crowd the concertina wire wall, as temperatures climb past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius). These men from Venezuela walk to a US Border Patrol processing centre after they crossed the Rio Grande river and over the razor wire to cross into Eagle Pass, Texas on September 25, 2023.
Worried about the scorching desert heat, Border Patrol agents eventually relent, cutting the wire to rescue them from the brutal temperatures.
"We just want to get our children ahead," says Venezuelan Yusmayra Pirela, 38.
Another woman, Maria Argentina, a double amputee, finds herself and her wheelchair stuck on an island in the middle of the river. Border patrol agents worry that the currents would make a boat rescue impossible.
After a makeshift rescue by her fellow migrants, Argentina, covered in mud, bursts into tears upon reaching the shore.
Elsewhere, migrants push through sections of the wire, tearing their clothing. Some are cut, and bleeding profusely.
For many who are taken into custody and later released, months or years of legal uncertainty await them while their asylum claims work through a severely backlogged system.
As the sun sets, Texas authorities cover holes in the wire. But they know the same scenes will repeat themselves tomorrow -- and the day after that.
"This is a hot spot," a Border Patrol agent says.
"Today was tense," he adds. "But for us, it's another day at the border."
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