Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents recovered the body of a migrant found floating in the Rio Grande River where no border barrier is present.

Eagle Pass Station Marine Border Patrol agents patrolling the Rio Grande River that separates Texas from Mexico on December 20 found the body of an illegal alien who apparently drowned while crossing the river from Mexico. The agents contacted the Eagle Pass Fire Department to assist in the recovery of the migrant’s body, according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

“Agents patrolling the Rio Grande located, and in conjunction with our first response partners, recovered a body” Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said in a written statement. “The recovery of a deceased body is one of the grimmest events our agents confront. This incident highlights the danger and unpredictability of the Rio Grande River.”

The only information released about the migrant is that the victim was male. Agents turned the body over to the Maverick County officials to begin an identification process.

The lack of a physical barrier along much of the Texas-Mexico border continues to proved deadly for migrants attempting to make their way into the U.S. illegally.

So far this calendar year, more than 230 migrants died while crossing or shortly after crossing the Mexican border into Texas, according to the International Organization for Migrants’ Missing Migrant Project. The overwhelming majority of those died in the Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley Sectors.

Nearly 400 migrants lost their lives along the entire U.S.-Mexico border during 2018, the report indicates. This represents about a nine percent increase over the same period in 2017.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face book.