U.S. Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio Sector continue to experience a significant increase in encounters despite the many associated dangers.
Since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2021, Oct. 1, Del Rio Sector has encountered more than 31,000 individuals, approximately a 193 percent increase over the same time last year. For some, the journey proves to be dangerous. Agents in the Del Rio Sector have rescued more than 275 individuals attempting to illegally enter the United States, a 425 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2020.
The increase is exemplified by events such as one in October, when Border Patrol agents encountered a 9-year-old boy from El Salvador and his 9-month-old nephew after a smuggler abandoned them on the U.S. riverbank. The two boys, who had been traveling for a month with a stranger, had no belongings aside from a homemade wristband displaying a relative’s phone number and a backpack containing one baby bottle, a can of baby formula, three diapers, rash cream and half a gallon of water. The children were medically evaluated and transferred to the Uvalde Station where agents comforted and cared for the children. To date, Del Rio Sector has apprehended over 1,730 unaccompanied children, as opposed to only 745 this time last year, a 132 percent increase.
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of Del Rio Sector, who continue to perform their duties with care and compassion,” said Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II. “Our agents remain focused and are prepared to overcome any challenge in the protection of our nation.”
