Migrant Rescues Continue at Record Pace During Summer Heatwave

Despite drastically lower numbers of illegal border crossings, Border Patrol agents continue rescuing migrants at a record pace.

The number of illegal aliens apprehended by Border Patrol agents after illegally crossing the border from Mexico fell by more than 60 percent this fiscal year compared to last, CBP reports indicate. Despite that, CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan told Breitbart Texas in a July interview that Border Patrol agents and Air and Marine Operations aircrews teamed up to rescue more than 4,000 people this fiscal year. He said the agents are on pace to exceed last year’s record number of rescues. In all of Fiscal Year 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, agents rescued at least 4,900 migrants, Breitbart Texas reported.

As temperatures soared to triple digits along the U.S. southwestern border with Mexico, Border Patrol agents continued putting their own lives at risk to save those attempting to enter our country illegally.

Thursday morning, El Centro Sector agents patrolling in the Jacumba Mountains heard a faint voice calling for help. The agents searched the area and found a Mexican man tucked under a large rock to escape the quickly rising temperatures. The agents quickly evaluated the man and determined he was suffering from heatstroke, El Centro Sector officials reported.

The BORSTAR agents report the man did not respond to the treatment and called for a National Guard Blackhawk medevac helicopter. Due to the rugged terrain, the agents were forced to carry the man for more than a half-mile in the 115 degree heat to an area where the rescue helicopter could land and transport the 55-year-old Mexican man an awaiting ambulance.

The ambulance crew took the man to a medical facility in Imperial Valley, California, where doctors began treatment. He remains under medical observation.

A Border Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team responded and provided immediate treatment with intravenous fluids.

Later that afternoon, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents received information from the Foreign Communications Branch regarding a call for help they received from the Mexican government. The Mexican government reported a distress call from a pair of Mexican nationals who were lost, out of water, and overcome by the heat, according to information obtained from El Centro Sector Border Patrol officials.

Responding agents utilized the GPS coordinates provided by Mexico and began a search and rescue operation that included the El Centro Station’s Mountain Disrupt Unit (MDU). Nearly an hour later, the MDU team located the two migrants and provided cold water and electrolytes. The migrants required no further medical attention.

Early the following morning, the Foreign Operations Branch again contacted El Centro dispatchers. This time the caller reported a group of five Mexican nationals who claimed to be lost after walking in the desert for several days.

About an hour later the MDU team located the group of five people who made the distress call. The agents provided the migrants with cold water and determined they needed no further medical attention.

Agents transported all seven illegal aliens to the El Centro Sector rally point and screened the group medically and checked their criminal history. Once cleared, the agents expelled all seven Mexican nationals to their home country under Title 42 coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During the past few days, other rescues took place in Arizona and Texas.

“It is very disheartening how little coverage migrant rescues get in the press,” Morgan told Breitbart Texas. “Our agents put their own lives at risk to save others who illegally enter the U.S. In addition to being exposed to the same elements that put these migrants at risk, the agents also face possible exposure to the coronavirus because of the close contact required in rescue operations.”

“Despite this,” the commissioner said, “our agents continue to go out every day to save lives and protect the public.”

As of July 31, Border Patrol agents working along the southwest border with Mexico rescued more than 4,100 migrants. This compares to 3,854 during the same period in FY19, according to CBP reports. In addition, CBP Air and Marine Operations aircrews carried out 186 rescues (up from 126 YTD last year).

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.