First responders at Texas border are traumatized from pulling dead bodies from the Rio Grande

First responders in Eagle Pass, Texas, say they are overwhelmed and traumatized from discovering families dead or close-to-death from attempting to cross the Rio Grande.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The crisis unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border since last year has spilled over into the fire engines and ambulances of a small Texas town.

First responders in Eagle Pass say they are overwhelmed and increasingly traumatized by what they see: parents drowned or dying, their children barely holding onto life after attempting to cross the Rio Grande.

The emotional strain on firefighters and EMTs has grown so great that city officials have applied for a state grant that would bring in additional mental health resources for front-line workers.

“It’s an unprecedented crisis,” said Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello. “It’s nothing close to what I experienced while I was on the line. It’s a whole different monster.”

Firefighters say the first calls for help usually blare through the three stations in Eagle Pass while crews are still sipping their morning coffee, bracing themselves for what the day will bring.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/eagle-pass-texas-mexico-border-rio-grande-trauma-rcna138412

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