Border Patrol agents pull a man from the Rio Grande into their patrol boat near Roma, Texas Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Border Patrol agents rescued two men from drowning in the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico frontier Tuesday.
According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the men had been swimming with their families when they began struggling to stay afloat. The shouting from people on the Mexico side of the riverbank attracted the two agents.
The agents, identified as Luis Gonzalez and Abel Flores, pulled the men out of the water and into their patrol boat before dropping them back onto the Mexican side of the river. The CBP statement said the agents were "applauded and thanked" by the waiting crowd.
"We are very proud of our agents [and] their actions which ultimately prevented the loss of human life," said Manuel Padilla Jr., the chief Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande sector.
Tuesday's incident occurred near Roma, Texas, approximately 50 miles west of McAllen and 175 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.
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