Migrant who drowned after crossing El Paso canal had been sent back to Mexico as part of MPP

The Guatemalan Consulate from Del Rio, Texas confirmed the 20-year-old migrant who drowned after crossing an El Paso canal, was sent back to Mexico through the Trump Administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

Guatemalan Consul Tekandi Paniagua confirmed with ABC-7 that 20-year-old Vilma Mendoza died after trying to cross a canal near the Border Highway and Yarbrough in the Lower Valley Monday night.

Emergency crews were able to rescue her and revive her after performing CPR, but she later died at University Medical Center.

The MPP, is commonly referred to as the “remain in Mexico” policy. Asylum seekers are sent back to Mexico to wait for their immigration hearings in the United States.

Mendoza first arrived in the United States on July 4th, according to the consul. Her first immigration hearing was scheduled for August 18th. The consul said it’s the first time he had heard of a Guatemalan migrant dying trying to cross back into the U.S. after being returned to Mexico. He said he could only speak though for his jurisdiction, which includes most of West Texas.

Paniagua also identified two other Guatemalan women who drowned in a separate case this summer in El Paso. Thirty-four-year-old Maria Juan and her 5-year-old daughter Ashly Francisco drowned in early June.

The consul said heavy rains can lead to increased water flow in canals in agricultural zones and that they have been sending out warning messages about the dangers of crossing these canals.