WESLACO - U.S. Border Patrol said rescues and deaths in South Texas are increasing.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS wanted to know if their Missing Migrant Initiative is working. The program’s main goal is to find missing people before they end up dying in the brush.

Hugo Vega, director of the project, said Border Patrol agents have rescued 519 people since October.

Vega said he credits the three-agent team under the program. They work along with consulates, non-profit organizations like South Texas Human Rights Center, medical examiners and other law enforcement agencies, property owners and families of missing people.

Last month, he said several agents rescued a woman who was missing for more than a week. Vega said he first got a call from Starr County law enforcement after a family member had called 911.

“They say we have a missing migrant, perhaps in the Falfurrias area. And it happens that the family calls us as well,” he said. “So, a bunch of parties were calling in the information. In the end, seven days later, she was rescued in the Laredo sector.”

Vega said another mission of the initiative is to identify bodies of people who died crossing the border. He said they’ve identified two bodies so far.

The Border Patrol program has also recovered 51 bodies since last October. That’s an increase compared to the 44 bodies they found last year in the same time frame.

Vega said the best way for any family to get help for a missing loved one is to call 911 and their country’s consulate. Local law enforcement and consulates will then contact the Missing Migrants Border Patrol agents.

Anyone can email the team at southtexasmissingmigrant@cbp.dhs.gov.