The fire department chief of a small Texas border county recovers migrant children and adults daily from the Rio Grande.
Manuel Mello III, who leads the Eagle Pass Fire Department in south-central Texas, said, “Two years ago, we would probably make in a year about 20 to 25 drownings,” Saying, “Right now, you’re looking at maybe 30 body recoveries in a month.”
Mello’s team is responsible for responding to fire emergencies in the 75,000-resident Maverick County; it also handles all emergency medical services and has the only swift water rescue program in the region.
