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The Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued migrant children after a potential smuggler deflated a raft before swimming back to Mexico, according to a news release.
Authorities said a 29-foot small crew response boat at around 8:30 p.m. responded to the river near McAllen where they encountered the group attempting to cross the river.
“The crew encountered a raft with one adult potential smuggler and eight non-citizen children aboard,” the release stated. “When the Coast Guard crew approached, the potential smuggler jumped overboard, deflated the raft, and swam back to the Mexican side of the river.”
As the raft took on water, the Coast Guard rescued the children from the sinking vessel.
“They then brought the survivors safely ashore and transferred them to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing,” the release stated.
There were no injuries, according to the release.