The unidentified soldier went missing while being assigned to the U.S. border.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is being searched by a multi-agency team that includes Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas Rangers and Border Patrol. Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that his office works with law enforcement agencies.
According to TMD, the soldier disappeared after trying to help two migrants who looked like they were drowning. The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into the missing soldier. They believe that the migrants were involved in illegal transnational narcotics traficking, TMD stated. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol took the migrants into custody.
Search efforts were complicated Friday by the strength and speed of the Rio Grande’s currents. This forced rescue teams to stop dive operations. Although the Texas Military Department confirmed that there was a fatality, stated that these reports were incorrect.
The department stated Saturday that the search for the missing TMD soldier would continue until all resources are exhausted. “Our thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to the family of the soldier.”
This soldier was assigned to Operation Lone Star, a multi-billion-dollar initiative that Abbott launched in March 2021 with the goal of policing America’s southern border. Although Abbott insists that the operation is needed to deter illegal immigration it has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers as an inefficient and expensive political stunt.
