EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — Officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border continue to search for at least nine migrants who died while trying to cross the rain-swollen Rio Grande, a dangerous border-crossing attempt in an area where the river level had risen by more than two feet in a single day.

“They’re taking a risk,” said Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber. “It’s a gamble to cross that river; it’s a dangerous river. I know it’s not as wide like other rivers but it’s very dangerous; currents are real fast. We saw, about three weeks ago, one kid here behind me, 3-year-old that drowned right here. They gave him CPR. He didn’t make it.”

The National Immigration Forum tweeted out, in part, “…This heartbreaking tragedy highlights once again, the need for Congress to act and pass immigration reforms.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.