National Guard soldiers, Border Patrol agent die in Texas helicopter crash

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday offered his condolences to the families of three people who lost their lives in the crash. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Chris Luna and two New York National Guard soldiers died when their helicopter crashed near the U.S.-Mexico border. Another National Guard soldier suffered significant injuries, per Mayorkas’ written statement.

How did the crash occur? The helicopter crashed near Rio Grande City while “conducting aviation operations” at around 3 p.m. local time on Friday, according to an initial release. The aircraft was a UH-72 Lakota, a double-engined single-rotor model. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also extended her condolences to the families of the deceased.

But who were the National Guard soldiers? The U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a statement identified the two deceased New York National Guard soldiers as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia. The third National Guardsman, who survived the crash while sustaining serious injuries, was not identified.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about how a recent survey highlights evangelicals’ concerns about immigration.