Five abandoned migrant girls, all under the age of seven, were discovered Sunday by a Texas farmer on his land in Quemado, near the Rio Grande River.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, spoke with the farmer who said he discovered the “baby girls” hungry and crying. He said one was naked and was crawling because she was too young to walk.
The farmer said it was very hot so he provided them shelter and gave them some food before authorities arrived. He said he does not believe they would have survived if he had not spotted them.
The incident seemed to underscore the worsening situation along the southern border. The farmer told Gonzales that he lived on the farm since 1946 and he never experienced such conditions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the girls will be in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services once they are processed. They ranged in age from 11 months to seven, according to ABC 7. Three of the girls are believed to be from Honduras and the other two from Guatemala. The report said the girls did not require medical attention.
Chief Border Patrol Agent Austin Skero II called the discovery “heartbreaking.”
“Unfortunately this happens far too often now. If not for our community and law enforcement partners, these little girls could have faced the more than 100-degree temperatures with no help,” he said.