Two National Guard troops and one Border Patrol agent are dead after a helicopter conducting operations along the southern border in Texas crashed.
The UH-72 Lakota helicopter carrying three National Guard troops and a Border Patrol agent was patrolling the border in Starr County when it went down. One National Guard soldier survived and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
General Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that he and the National Guard “send our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, friends & colleagues of the two Army National Guard Soldiers and the U.S. Border Patrol officer killed in today’s helicopter crash in Texas.”
“We mourn these heartbreaking deaths. They are a tragic loss beyond words. We pray for the speedy recovery of a third Guard Soldier who was seriously injured. All of these people represent selfless service & the best of America,” he added.
Kelly & I, & the National Guard family, send our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, friends & colleagues of the two Army National Guard Soldiers and the U.S. Border Patrol officer killed in today's helicopter crash in Texas. We mourn these heartbreaking deaths. They… pic.twitter.com/8WZ6wtTujI
— General Daniel Hokanson (@ChiefNGB) March 9, 2024
Hokanson said that the crash occurred around 2:50 p.m. MST while conducting aviation operations near Rio Grande City, Texas. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and the names of the killed won’t be released as families are notified.
Starr County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in the response to the crash and said that it took place in the eastern part of the county. Starr County Judge Eloy Vera said that three men and one woman were on the helicopter, according to the Associated Press.
Fox News reported that it obtained footage from a Customs and Border Protection source that showed Mexican cartel members laughing as the helicopter went down. One person reportedly shouted “go to hell” in Spanish as the helicopter crashed.
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Starr County has previously seen high numbers of crossings, and the Department of Homeland Security waived some legal requirements to move forward with the Trump administration’s plan to put up a border wall in the county.
“The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations, and other legal requirements in order to ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads in the vicinity of the international land border in Starr County, Texas,” DHS said in October.
Under President Joe Biden, record numbers of illegal immigrants have crossed into the United States, prompting calls from lawmakers to close the border and rescind his earlier executive orders that reversing Trump-era border policies.