An unidentified Mexican asylum-seeker took his own life Wednesday just yards from the U.S. border after he was denied entry, a report said.
The man was in his 30s, Reuters reported, citing two Mexican security officials. The incident occurred on a bridge spanning the Rio Grande about 5 p.m. local time. After being denied entry, the man was seen taking out a knife and slitting his own throat. He died a few yards away from the border with Pharr, Texas, on the Mexican side.
Officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to an after-hours email. The Reuters report said it was unclear why the man killed himself.
The U.S. moved aggressively over the past year to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving at its southwest border through a series of measures aimed at making it a less attractive option.
In recent days, guidance was reportedly sent to U.S. asylum officials that said Mexicans would now be included in the so-called “Remain in Mexico” program that sent non-Mexican asylum seekers back to Mexico to await their asylum cases.
The Tamaulipas attorney general’s office said it was investigating the man’s death, Reuters reported.
