A Texas man heading to work on Wednesday stumbled across a drowning incident involving two teens and a woman who were running away from police amid a botched smuggling operation through the Rio Grande.
US Border Patrol agents were arresting people and chasing others who jumped into the dangerous river while attempting to flee.
Jesus Vargas said that BPLS officials stood there looking as people struggled to stay afloat. He stepped in, using a fishing line, to try and help.
“You don’t have life jackets? They’re drowning these guys,” Vargas could be heard yelling. “The girl didn’t come up no more. Call the boat, man, the girl didn’t come out no more.”
Vargas could only help a young boy: “He just put his little arm out and got the string and that’s the way I pulled him out, but the rest of them just drowned floating down the river.”
“You feel sad for everybody because people are just staring at them drowning, it’s sad for everybody. Everybody needs help. It doesn’t matter where they are. We are all the same.”
