4-year-old girl found alone, huddled on riverbank at Texas border, officials say

A 4-year-old girl found alone at the Texas border was recently rescued by U.S. Border Patrol agents, according to Customs and Border Protection.

The unnamed girl was brought across the Rio Grande by a smuggler and then left on the riverbank, CBP’s Del Rio Sector spokesman Dennis Smith told McClatchy News.

Border agents spotted the girl near Eagle Pass on Sunday morning, March 20. A larger group of migrants was seen crossing in the area, and agents stumbled across her during their search.

“They found her kind of huddled on the side of the river,” Smith said.

This spot is a popular stretch of border to make the crossing, but it can be treacherous. Earlier in March, the river pulled a different 4-year-old child away from her mother, drowning her.

CBP knows very little about the girl found Sunday.

Where her parents are, who she is, where she’s from are all unknown, and she wasn’t carrying any identifying documents.

But she’s safe.

“I think (smugglers) assume that the children will be found, but there’s certainly a disregard for what happens to them when they leave them in a situation like that,” Smith said.

“Smugglers have no regard for human life or health and safety of children. People shouldn’t trust themselves or their family members to smugglers, it’s dangerous, don’t do it.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 5:11 PM with the headline "4-year-old girl found alone, huddled on riverbank at Texas border, officials say."