Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents recovered three bodies of migrants during a two-day period who died on Texas ranches. The agents recovered the bodies after the migrants illegally crossed the border from Mexico near Carrizo Springs and Eagle Pass, Texas.

The first recovery occurred on June 19 when Carrizo Springs Station agents received an anonymous call about a migrant who became lost on a ranch. With the support of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew, the agents discovered the body of a deceased male migrant, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

The following day, Carrizo Springs Station agents received another anonymous call regarding a lost migrant. The caller suggested the migrant could be found on a ranch near Carrizo Springs. The agents responded to the area and discovered the body of a second deceased male migrant.

Authorities from Dimmit County took custody of the two deceased migrants.

That same day, riverine agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station came upon the decomposing remains of a deceased person while conducting river patrol operations, officials stated. The Eagle Pass Fire Department recovered the remains and transported them to Maverick County officials for processing.

“The extreme temperatures during this time of year can be fatal for anyone attempting to avoid detection by illegally crossing the remote areas of our border,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “I urge people use legal means to enter the United States at designated ports of entry.”

So far this calendar year, at least 170 died during or shortly after crossing the Mexican border into the U.S., according to the International Organization for Migrants’ Missing Migrant Project. More than half of those bodies were found in Texas. These numbers are expected to increase during the summer months.