ROMA, Texas — Texas special agents helped U.S Border Patrol officers save a 6-month-old baby who was tossed into the Rio Grande two weeks ago, authorities said.
The South Texas Region of the Department of Public Safety, in a Facebook post, said the agency and Border Patrol officials also rescued the child’s mother, who had been injured by smugglers.
The incident occurred on March 16, WOAI reported. It began when the 6-month-old girl was allegedly tossed from a raft while smugglers crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into southern Texas, the television station reported.
The child’s mother suffered a broken leg at the hands of the smugglers, the DPS said in its Facebook post.
The South Texas Special Operations Group, which was assisting Border Patrol agents near the town of Roma at the time of the incident, frequently carries out missions along the Texas-Mexico border to deter and detect crime, Fox News reported.
“This specialized group is a highly trained tactical team whose primary responsibility is to carry out specific missions, usually along the Texas-Mexico border region or wherever needed,” the Facebook post said. “The team is designed to conduct both overt and extended covert operations in remote areas where conventional law enforcement cannot operate.”
The conditions of the child and her mother are unclear, WOAI reported.