Migrants Abandoned in California Desert After Child Is Injured

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a migrant woman and an unaccompanied minor after smugglers abandoned them in the Jacumba Wilderness. The smugglers abandoned the pair after the minor sprained his ankle.

El Centro Sector Communications Dispatch operators received a message from California Highway Patrol Communications Thursday evening regarding a call for help from two lost individuals. Officials report the caller identified herself as a 34-year-old and said she was traveling with a 17-year-old male cousin, according to information obtained from El Centro Sector Border Patrol officials.

The woman told dispatchers human smugglers abandoned her and her cousin after the teen sprained his ankle.

Dispatchers notified El Centro Station Border Patrol agents quickly began a search and rescue operation and called for assistance from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrew.

About an hour into the search, the AMO aircrew observed a person shining a light at the helicopter. The aircrew determined the light to be coming from the lost migrants.

Agents on board the helicopter notified ground-based Border Patrol agents and guided them to the two people’s location. A few minutes later, Border Patrol agents arrived on the scene and began to medically assess the pair.

Agents determined both to be in good health and not requiring medical attention. An immigration interview by the agents identified the two as Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.

The agents transported the woman and her cousin to a rally point for processing where they conducted a criminal background investigation and further medical screening.

Under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March, the agents expelled the two to Mexico immediately after they cleared the screening process.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.