Army investigators on Saturday went to the scene of a military helicopter crash in south Texas the day before, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent.
A third National Guard soldier on board the helicopter was seriously injured, said Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, director of the National Guard Bureau. The names of those on board may be released Sunday, the National Guard said.
The soldiers were on what appeared to be a routine mission in support of federal border operations near Rio Grande City, according to the Pentagon's Northern Joint Task Force, which works with federal law enforcement agencies on the border.
The crash, which occurred in La Grulla, a small city of about 1,400 people in Starr County about 110 miles west of South Padre Island, was unrelated to Operation Lone Star, a Texas-led border project. was.
Maj. Ryan Wierzbicki, a spokesman for Joint Task Force North, said in an email that the flight “was providing surveillance and detection capabilities along that section of the border.” All three people who died had been deployed to the southwest border since October, he said, adding that there were no injuries on the ground where the helicopter crashed.
A short video from the scene seen by Reuters showed piles of twisted metal smoldering in a field under cloudy skies and people believed to be emergency workers running toward the plane.
Judge Eloy Vella, Starr County's top municipal official, said the helicopter was patrolling the border and chasing people illegally entering the United States at the time of the crash.
There were three men and one woman on board, Judge Vera said, adding that Border Patrol agents were stationed in Rio Grande City.
The investigation is being conducted by the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novoselle, Alabama, formerly known as Fort Rucker. The center handles all Army aviation accidents and sends investigators and experts to what the Army classifies as “Class A accidents” — accidents that result in death, serious injury, or at least $2 million in property damage. ing. those involving destroyed or missing Army aircraft;
Preparedness Center spokesman Jimmy E. Cummings said investigators will take measurements at the scene and recover the black box. He added that investigations can take several weeks and typically include examining the aircraft's maintenance records and the crew's medical and personnel records.
The aircraft was a UH-72 Lakota, according to Joint Task Force North. According to manufacturer Airbus, this model has been used by the Army as a light utility helicopter since 2006.
President Biden remembered the victims in a statement Saturday. “These brave Americans gave their lives to protect our country. Our gratitude is deep and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he added.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny and political tensions over the border, federal immigration policy and Texas' efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country.
Overall, more migrants were caught crossing the southern border last year than in any year since at least 1960, when the government began tracking the data. There were more than 2.4 million arrests in fiscal year 2023, which ended in September, the third consecutive year on record.
The number of people entering the United States from Mexico fell 50% in January from a record high of nearly 250,000 in December, according to Customs and Border Protection. However, the number of intersections usually decreases in January.
The city of Rio Grande is located approximately 25 miles west of La Grulla and has a population of 14,000. The city was the largest in Starr County and a frequent transit point for immigrants.
The Trump administration had been building the steel segment as a border barrier to deter and divert unauthorized border crossings. Work stopped after President Biden took office, but he has since reversed course. Separately, Texas is also slowly building its own barriers.
John Yoon, emily schmoll and J. David Goodman Contributed to the report.
