Large Migrant Group Apprehended in AZ Desert Mountains near Border

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a large group of migrants attempting to sneak into the U.S. interior after crossing the Mexican border into Arizona. Due to the rugged terrain of the mountainous region, a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew provided transportation into the area for the agents.

Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin tweeted images of a group of migrants being apprehended by agents near Nogales, Arizona. A CBP AMO helicopter aircrew airlifted Border Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents along with Border Patrol Tactical (BORTAC) agents into the mountainous region located west of Nogales in response to multiple 911 calls.

In rugged mountains west of Nogales, AZ, @CBPAMO provided air transport for Tucson Sector agents responding to a large group.

BORSTAR, BORTAC, and Nogales Station agents worked together to apprehend 23 migrants, two of which had previously called 911. Outstanding #CBP teamwork! pic.twitter.com/u4PJXvJUZk

— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) May 22, 2022

The agents located the 23 migrants and took them into custody. The photos showed the migrants wearing camouflage to avoid detection and apprehension.

During the month of April, the most recent information available from CBP, Tucson Sector agents apprehended 25,237 migrants. This represents an increase of nearly 25 percent over the previous April, according to the April Southwest Land Border Encounters Report. This raised made Tucson the third busiest of the nine southwest border sectors.

The 25,000 plus apprehensions raised the sector’s year-to-date total to 147,860 migrants — an increase of 47.2 percent over the same period last year.

So far this year, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 1.2 million migrants along the southwest border with Mexico. The record-setting total is a near 68 percent jump over the same period in FY21.