A Texas National Guard member who disappeared while trying to save migrants struggling to cross the Rio Grande was identified Sunday as a 22-year-old man who joined the service three years ago.
Bishop Evans of Arlington was identified by the Texas Military Department as a field artilleryman assigned to a regiment in New Braunfels, outside San Antonio.
Evans was serving on Operation Lone Star in Eagle Pass, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio, when he jumped in the river Friday in what the department called a “selfless” effort to save two migrants who appeared to be drowning.
The department accused the migrants Saturday of being involved in drug trafficking. They were in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the department said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether they have attorneys to speak on their behalf.
Evans hasn’t been found, the department said Sunday. Dangerous currents forced dive teams to halt operations Saturday. They began again Sunday with assistance from three airboats.
Evans previously served in Kuwait and Iraq, where, the department said, his “dedication, talents and tactical prowess” were used in support of U.S. special forces.
CORRECTION (April 25, 2022, 1:30 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated an agency’s name. It is U.S. Customs and Border Protection, not Customs and Border Patrol.