Dramatic photos show migrant boy, seven, being saved from drowning by Border Patrol agent after falling in to the water while attempting to cross the Rio Grande in an inflatable children's pool

  • The boy was rescued from the river, which separates the border, on Friday 
  • Four adults and four other children were also rescued after they tried to cross the river in inflatable children's pools near Eagle Pass, Texas  
  • Agents rescued the group from the river, which is especially strong between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico, and took them into custody 
  • Last month four migrants, including a baby, drowned on the Rio Grande after their raft flipped  

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New photos have captured the dramatic rescue of a seven-year-old Honduras boy who nearly drowned on the Rio Grande while trying to cross the border. 

The young boy was rescued from the river, which separates the US-Mexico border, by Border Patrol agents on Friday. 

Four adults and four other children were also rescued after they tried to cross the river in inflatable children's pools near Eagle Pass, Texas. 

The pools capsized, sending the group into the rushing water.  

New photos have captured the dramatic rescue of a seven-year-old Honduras boy who nearly drowned on the Rio Grande while trying to cross the border

New photos have captured the dramatic rescue of a seven-year-old Honduras boy who nearly drowned on the Rio Grande while trying to cross the border

The young boy was rescued from the river, which separates the US-Mexico border, by Border Patrol agents on Friday

The young boy was rescued from the river, which separates the US-Mexico border, by Border Patrol agents on Friday

Agents rescued the group and then took them into custody.  

The river is especially strong between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Earlier this month four people, including a 10-month-old baby and a seven-year-old boy, drowned after their raft flipped over on the Rio Grande. 

A young girl and an adult male were also killed.  

The young boy had tried to cross the river with a group using inflatable children's pools

The young boy had tried to cross the river with a group using inflatable children's pools 

The boy had fallen out of the makeshift raft and lost hold of his mother, falling into the river

The boy had fallen out of the makeshift raft and lost hold of his mother, falling into the river 

Pictured are the group of migrants who tried to cross the Rio Grande in inflatable children's pools last week

Pictured are the group of migrants who tried to cross the Rio Grande in inflatable children's pools last week 

Border Patrol agents from the Eagle Pass South Station detained a 27-year-old man from Honduras for illegally crossing into US territory, who said that their raft had overturned in the waters. 

He told agents that his baby son and nephew had been swept away, along with another child and an adult male. 

The agents searched for the victims, pulling the man's wife and his elder son from the muddy water, cold but alive. Another man and his 13-year-old child were rescued nearby. The children were hospitalized for observation.

'What we're dealing with now is senseless tragedy,' said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz. 'The men and women of the US Border Patrol have been doing everything in their power to prevent incidents like this. And yet, callous smugglers continue to imperil the lives of migrants for financial gain.'

Border Patrol Agents rescue two children from Honduras after their makeshift raft turned over with their mother in it as they were attempting to cross the Rio Grande River

Border Patrol Agents rescue two children from Honduras after their makeshift raft turned over with their mother in it as they were attempting to cross the Rio Grande River

Four adults and four children total were rescued after they tried to cross the river in inflatable children's pools near Eagle Pass, Texas on Friday

Four adults and four children total were rescued after they tried to cross the river in inflatable children's pools near Eagle Pass, Texas on Friday 

Migrants often try to cross the river, mostly in poorly constructed rafts with no safety gear, and the water can be deceptively high and fast-moving.

The Border Patrol made 99,000 apprehensions on the southern border just in April. Most were adults and children from Central America expected to seek asylum. 

That month, border agents rescued 10 people in a sinking raft in the same area, including a three-year-old child who had become separated from her mother on the Mexico side.

During the last budget year, US Customs and Border Protection rescue teams responded to more than 4,300 emergencies. There were 283 deaths, including those who drowned or died in the deserts. 

The number of border crossings last month reached a 12-year high. More than 103,000 people were encountered, including more than 53,000 people traveling as part of families.

Migrants often try to cross the river, mostly in poorly constructed rafts with no safety gear, and the water can be deceptively high and fast-moving. Pictured here are migrants crossing the Rio Bravo towards the US in February 2019

Migrants often try to cross the river, mostly in poorly constructed rafts with no safety gear, and the water can be deceptively high and fast-moving. Pictured here are migrants crossing the Rio Bravo towards the US in February 2019

A raft carrying nine migrants capsized on the Rio Grande last month. A 10-month-old baby from Honduras was found dead and three other migrants, including two children, were reported missing

A raft carrying nine migrants capsized on the Rio Grande last month. A 10-month-old baby from Honduras was found dead and three other migrants, including two children, were reported missing

Homeland Security officials say the system is straining under the crush of families who require different care and have different needs from the people agents and officers were used to seeing cross the border - mostly single men from Mexico.

The White House has since asked Congress for an additional $4.5billion in funding for the border. 

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan told a Senate subcommittee the department needed supplemental funding to help manage the crush of migrants and to provide proper care.

But Democrats are wary of giving the administration more money, especially after the longest government shutdown in history over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding. 

Trump eventually declared a national emergency to circumvent Congress to get the funding elsewhere. The new emergency funding would not be used to build any of the wall, officials said.

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Dramatic photos show migrant boy being saved from drowning by Border Patrol agent

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