14ymedio, Mexico, 5 April 2022 — Four Cubans, including a three-year-old child, were saved from drowning in their attempt to cross the Rio Grande from the border city of Piedras Negras to Eagles Pass, Texas. These migrants are part of one of the two groups that risked their lives this Tuesday to reach the United States.
Isabel, 25, Luciano, 31, Ángelo Luciano, 3, and another woman were swept away by the current of the Rio Grande, which had increased its level by almost three feet because this Sunday the gates of the Amistad dam were opened. “I was afraid that my son would drown with me, that’s why I turned back,” one of the migrants told local media.
The Cuban said that they arrived in Piedras Negras on Tuesday after a 16-day journey. They left Havana and went to Nicaragua and from there they made the journey until they reached the border with the United States. “The current is very strong, I tried to make sure he (Ángelo) didn’t end up in the water.”
The group, made up of 12 people, joined hands and went into the river, but the force of the current overcame them. Three were left in the middle of the current and received support from migrants who threw life jackets and ropes at them from the shore.
“I was trying to float,” said Isabel. “Until I managed to stand firm and now… there’s nothing else to do,” said the young woman, resigned, adding that her family was already on the other side. “I’m not afraid to die” and she stated that she would try again.
Liaison members from the municipality and Grupo Beta took the data from the Cubans. “They know that it is a risk and they put the children at risk. Fortunately, there were no drownings, but they will not always have the same luck,” said Rodrigo, a member of the rescue group.
“The level of the river increased, we are talking about areas where the depth is fifteen feet and in addition there are whirlpools. And under the International Bridge II, where they passed, the water is up to nine feet deep,” added the lifeguard.
Minutes before, another group made up of eight Cubans jumped into the river. While on the Mexican side they asked them to return because of the flood, one of the women replied: “Go back to Cuba, no way.”
The migrants rejected the support of the group of lifeguards and decided to continue on their journey until they were overwhelmed by the flow. At that point they received the support of the Border Patrol, which helped them set foot in Eagles Pass.
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