Search for Arlington soldier who tried to save migrants who appeared to be drowning in the Rio Grande

A Texas National Guard officer who has been missing since Friday was identified Sunday as a 22-year-old Arlington resident, according to the Texas Military Department.

Military officer Bishop E. Evans went missing after trying to save two migrants who appeared to be drowning in the Rio Grande River as they crossed the US-Mexico border, according to the National Guard.

The department said early Monday that it is continuing to search for Evans with the help of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Border Patrol. The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation.

Read here: What role does the Texas National Guard have in arresting undocumented immigrants?

Texas Rangers investigators believe the two migrants were trafficking narcotics, the military department announced Saturday. The migrants are in the custody of Customs and Border Protection, the department added.

The Texas Military Department did not provide further details or respond to a request for comment related to the two migrants.

Diving teams and float boats have been deployed as part of ongoing search efforts, the department said.

Evans is a field artilleryman and part of the 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment from Battery A in New Braunfels, according to the department. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019, according to the news release. He served in Kuwait and Iraq, the department said.

Evans was near Eagle Pass as part of Operation Lone Star. Gov. Greg Abbott described the operation, which began more than a year ago and involves DPS and the Texas National Guard, as an attempt to stem the flow of immigrants who They enter the country illegally through the US-Mexico border.

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