Manhunt continues for soldier who dived into the Rio Grande to help migrants in Texas

The manhunt for a soldier of the Army National Guard, who went missing after diving into the Rio Grande in Texas the day before to rescue two migrants continued Saturday, officials said.

The soldier’s identity has not been disclosed. He was assigned to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star program, which he stated was focused at illicit border crossings and drugs.

The soldier into the river to assist two Mexican migrants who seemed to be drowning near Eagle Pass, a border community, according to a statement from the Texas Military Department.

The search “will continue until all available resources are depleted,” the agency stated.

The two migrants are being held by US Customs and Border Protection, the agency stated.

Additionally, according to the military department’s statement, “early investigations from the Texas Rangers indicate that the two migrants were involved in unlawful international drugs trafficking.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for further information Saturday.

Abbott announced the commencement of Operation Lone Star in March 2021, a border security operation that would include Texas National Guard troops and state law enforcement officials.

Attorneys and others have attacked it as unlawful and illegal. In September, a judge ordered the release of more than 200 inmates who had been held for weeks without charges.

Abbott, a Republican campaigning for Texas re-election in November, has stated that securing the border is important due to what he believes is congressional inactivity.

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