This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.  

On June 25, 2024, at approximately 5:59 p.m., two Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) assigned to the Santa Teresa Station encountered a group of suspected noncitizens near McNutt Road in Sunland Park, New Mexico, approximately 4.6 miles northwest of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas. Concurrently, another BPA operating a mobile video surveillance system observed the same group of individuals.  
 
At approximately 6:01 p.m., two of the migrants fled northeast into the United States, toward the Rio Grande River while the initial two BPAs pursued them. In this area, the river runs north/south along the Texas and New Mexico border. From approximately 75 yards away, the BPA operating the Border Patrol vehicle used the vehicle’s public address system and advised them not to enter the river because it could be dangerous, while the other BPA pursued the migrants on foot. Both migrants successfully waded across the river from New Mexico to Texas, eluding the BPAs.  
 
Later, at approximately 6:03 p.m., the BPA operating the mobile surveillance system observed a second group of suspected noncitizens in the area and alerted the other agents. These individuals also attempted to cross the river northeast into Texas, but several of them began to struggle to stay afloat in the deeper water. At approximately 6:07 p.m., the two BPAs arrived at the riverbank with life ring flotation devices and started rescue efforts. The BPAs also requested assistance from Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue agents and any other available agencies by radio.  
 
CBP’s Air and Marine Operations deployed air crews to assist in searching for the struggling individuals in the water. At approximately 6:16 p.m., Sunland Park Fire Department (SPFD) requested aid from the El Paso Fire Department. At approximately 6:20 p.m., an Air Interdiction Agent (AIA) rescued one of the individuals from the river while SPFD arrived on scene and joined the rescue efforts.  
 
At approximately 6:40 p.m., SPFD recovered an unresponsive man from the river, who was later identified as a citizen of Mexico. SPFD personnel and the AIA performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man, until SPFD personnel determined resuscitative efforts were no longer required.  
 
At approximately 7:10 p.m., SPFD recovered two more unresponsive people from the river. They were later identified as a 16-year-old girl and an adult man, both citizens of Mexico. First responders did not perform lifesaving efforts on either individual.  
 
At approximately 7:59 p.m., control of the scene was transferred to the El Paso Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit. At approximately 8:15 p.m., El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner investigators arrived on scene and declared the unresponsive individuals deceased.  
 
On June 25, 2024, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Special Agents interviewed a male noncitizen who had been traveling with the decedents during the incident. The man stated he did not know the other people he was traveling with and could not remember any details regarding the incident.  
 
On June 26, 2024, OPR requested that the medical examiner conduct an autopsy examination of all three decedents. On August 20, 2024, OPR received a copy of the results of all three autopsies listing the cause of all three deaths as drowning; the manner was listed as an accident.  
 
El Paso Police Department investigated the incident and OPR conducted a review. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was also notified.  
 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.