(NewsNation Now) — As the mercury continues to rise in thermometers across the country, so do crossings along the border.
But the heat is compounding an already dangerous gamble the migrants take in making the trip. In Texas, the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office confirmed more than 35 migrant bodies have been found so far this year. That’s more than all of 2020.
In May, South Texas watermelon farmers found five migrant girls abandoned on their property. The couple and Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales begged the Biden administration to step in ahead of scorching summer heat.
“The weather’s getting worse, more and more folks are coming over,” Gonzales said. “People need help and they need help now.”
In new exclusive video border patrol agents in the Rio Grande signal to each other as they catch a migrant hiding in wild grass. Others found cover underneath the shade of cane reeds.
Agent Jesse Moreno says the job can be intense.
“Our job is hard,” he told NewsNation. “It’s a dangerous job and it takes strength, smarts and understanding of what it is that’s going on out there.”
Border patrol sectors from Texas to California and Arizona have warned of brutal conditions. They’ve shared images of migrants given first aid, IV’s and electrolytes in the desert heat.
“The dangers are real and the message is clear!” wrote interim Tucson sector chief John Modlin on Twitter. “Smuggling organizations continue to abandon migrants in remote and dangerous areas! Do not risk your life by crossing the international boundary.
“Walking through the desert at these temperatures is like jumping into boiling water.”
During her first foreign trip to Guatemala, Vice President Kamala Harris sent a clear message to those considering the treacherous journey: “Do not come. Do not come.”