Border Patrol Agents Save Teen Left by Smugglers to Die

Human smugglers left a 15-year-old behind in the desert just north of the Texas/Mexico border near Laredo. Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents saved the Salvadoran national from certain death.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo North Station received a notification about a lost child in the desert near a ranch on Mines Road. The young boy was left behind without food or water by the coyotes that smuggle immigrants north from the border around Border Patrol inland checkpoints.

“Smugglers are callous and have no regard for human life. If a person cannot keep up, regardless of age, the smugglers will simply leave them to die,” Acting Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens said in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.

Agents received the call at about 11 pm on October 19, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials stated. Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents deployed and found the abandoned child they later learned was from El Salvador. Agents said the boy had not eaten or had any water for days, but was in surprisingly good condition. Despite being abandoned by the coyotes, the boy had continued his journey northward.

After being rescued, BORSTAR agents evaluated the boys health and determined he was able to travel. He was taken to the Laredo North Station for processing.

Despite the flood of immigrants crossing our borders daily, Border Patrol agents strive to not only stop the smuggling of humans and drugs into the country by drug cartel connected smugglers, the continuously work to save the lives of those who are abused by the smugglers.

“The deployment of specialized personnel, area-specific technology, and public awareness campaigns are among the efforts undertaken by the U.S. Border Patrol each year, in order to prevent the unfortunate loss of life,” officials stated.

Unfortunately, the agents are not always successful and must deal with the remains of those who do not survive their journey to the U.S.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.