Texans Organize Rescue Posse For Children From Border Crisis

HOUSTON, Texas—The bodies of illegal immigrants are routinely found dead near Falfurrias, Texas in Brooks County. Texas citizens and the local sheriff are organizing a ‘rescue posse’ to make sure the thousands of children illegally crossing the Texas border with Mexico are not dying in the area.

Though Falfurrias sits approximately 85 miles from the border, there is a notorious Border Patrol checkpoint in the area and illegal immigrants routinely exit vehicles before the checkpoint and attempt to circumvent law enforcement efforts. The terrain and the heat often prove too much for the travelers and their bodies are often found on local ranches—either dead from exposure, dehydration, or murder. They trek miles away from the highway and attempt several days of survival through the Texas heat to get to safehouses.

A press release from the new effort was obtained by Breitbart Texas. It states, “Brooks County is ground zero for the risk of injury and death for migrants. From 2011 through December of 2013, more than 300 people died crossing through Brooks County, representing more than 50% of all deaths in the entire Rio Grande Valley region.

It’s estimated that less than half of those who perish in Brooks County are found. The number of unaccompanied minors and women migrants in South Texas and Brooks County are already at record levels in 2014 and expected to rise even further.”

The release states that the rescue posse operations will begin in Brooks County in June and will involve teams made up of volunteer and paid Deputy Sheriffs from Brooks County working closely with Texas Border Rescue team members.

Breitbart Texas spoke with Charles Gilbert, executive vice-president with Texas Border Rescue, which is the administrative umbrella for the Brooks County Sheriff’s office rescue posse.

“The members of Texas Border Rescue are all volunteer civilians. We are integrating law enforcement for protection and any form of law enforcement needs we would encounter. Having the deputies with us makes everything more effective.”

“We recognized that coming out here to just report people is not enough. The women and children are often left behind. We know they are out there, he added.”

Gilbert spoke of his group's motivations and said they go far beyond identifying and reporting people who are here illegally. He said, “Once you find a child or a pregnant woman who is close to death, it’s life changing. That’s what happened to us." Gilbert said his group integrating law enforcement into the team of civilians differentiates them from some other groups. He added, "We are organizing to make sure others go out to help and do so responsibly."

Breitbart Texas readers can learn more about Texas Border Rescue and their efforts.


Originally posted on Breitbart Texas.

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