Child migrant drowns crossing the Colorado River near Yuma; investigation underway

California and Arizona border officials are investigating the drowning of a 5-year-old child in the Colorado River on Monday after they were separated from their mother as they attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma.

The mother alerted agents with Border Patrol's Yuma Sector on Monday that she had been separated from her child when they crossed the Colorado River at the Morelos Dam as part of a larger group, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

This area has become a frequent crossing point for migrants seeking to enter the United States from Mexico.

The Colorado River forms the international boundary, but the area near the Morelos Dam has lower water levels that allow migrants to walk or wade across. They are then able to present themselves to Border Patrol agents through gaps in the 30-foot border fence. 

The details of the drowning are still unclear, but the mother told border agents she had handed her child to someone else in the group they were crossing with and had last seen the child near the dam.

Agents combed through the area looking for the missing child and eventually spotted the 5-year-old's body in the Colorado River.

Deputies with the Imperial County Sheriff's Office in California recovered the child's body and are leading the investigation into the drowning, with assistance from CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility.

CBP and the Imperial County Sheriff's Office declined to share additional information, including the identities of the mother and child, where they are from, the gender of the child, or if the mother remains in CBP custody. They said the investigation is still ongoing and more details would be released at a later time. 

Yuma has been a major crossing route for migrants and asylum seekers, in large part because of the ease with which they can walk across the Colorado River and turn themselves in to border agents. 

Since the fiscal year started in October until April, U.S. border agents have encountered more than 177,000 migrants in the Yuma Sector, which covers southwestern Arizona and a small portion of California. Approximately 77,000 of those migrants have been families and unaccompanied children. 

Have any news tips or story ideas about immigration in the Southwest? Reach the reporter at rafael.carranza@arizonarepublic.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RafaelCarranza.

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