Thirteen dead after illegal immigrants drown in Rio Grande while crossing into US

On Monday, Border Patrol confirmed that a thirteenth person had died from drowning after a large group of illegal immigrants attempted to cross the Rio Grande river last Thursday in an incident where US authorities apprehended 53 migrants, 37 of which were rescued from the water by US Customs and Border Patrol agents.

Fox News reports that CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said, "I appreciate the dangerous work of our Border Patrol to save lives and recover the bodies of the deceased. Their job is not an easy one and many people don’t realize the toll it can take on those who serve as Agents."

Despite a record-high number of illegal immigrants pouring into the United States along the country's southern border, Joe Biden has remarkably reduced the prosecution of illegal immigrants in his presidency.

It is a federal misdemeanor to illegally cross into the United States and a felony if it's done twice.

Border Patrol officials have begun pleading for migrants not to cross the border illegally. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens, of the Del Rio Sector, released a warning to those who are attempting to make the journey.

"Despite these adverse conditions, US Border Patrol, Del Rio Sector continues to encounter large groups of more than 100+, 200+ attempting to cross the Rio Grande daily," Owens said. "In an effort to prevent further loss of life, we are asking everyone to please avoid crossing."

CBP agents said they had recovered more than 200 bodies of migrants that attempted to cross the river in the Del Rio sector in August alone. CBP authorities continue to be overwhelmed with migrants crossing the border, with nearly 2 million migrants being apprehended by authorities at the border during the 2022 fiscal year.

Biden's border crisis reached a tragic epoch on June 28 as 46 migrants were found dead inside an 18-wheeler in San Antonio that was driven by a meth-addled trafficker. Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted afterward, "These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies."

Mules also smuggled copious amounts of Fentanyl and other drugs across the southern border, usually packed with migrants who are illegally crossing. As human smuggling and drug trafficking has flourished along the southern border, Joe Biden drastically slowed the prosecution of illegal immigrants by almost 80 percent in 2021.