Air and Marine Operations

Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents and CBP aircrews teamed up to apprehend multiple camo-wearing migrant groups attempting to sneak into the U.S. interior.

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.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers assisted Border Patrol agents in the apprehension of 70 migrants in remote regions of the Big Bend Sector over a 36-hour period.

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents teamed up with a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrew to rescue a severely dehydrated woman near the border in Arizona. The woman called 911 after being abandoned by human smugglers in the Baboquivari Mountains.

Border Patrol agents in two Texas sectors found groups of migrants being smuggled in dump trailers in attempts to circumvent interior immigration checkpoints. The interdictions led to the apprehensions of 24 migrants and the recovery of a stolen truck.

Law enforcement officials in Vermont rescued three women who were padlocked inside an apartment. Officials believe the women were being held against their will in a human trafficking scheme.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew and U.S. Border Patrol agents teamed up to rescue a dehydrated migrant who became lost in the mountains of southern Arizona.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees are making last-minute preparations for a potential response required to answer the threat Hurricane Ida poses to the greater New Orleans area. CBP’s Air and Marine Operations, Border Patrol, and Office of Field Operations

U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircrews teamed up with the Coast Guard to seize nearly nine tons of cocaine in three separate incidents in July and August. The 17,620-pound seizures had an estimated street value of more than $333 million, officials stated.

An El Centro Sector Border Patrol Horse Patrol Unit rescued eight migrants who became lost in the desert after illegally crossing from Mexico. The rescue of the four adults and four minors came from the successful coordination of efforts between the Government of Mexico and U.S. Border Patrol.

El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents and an AMO helicopter aircrew rescued a woman suffering a severe heat-related illness after she illegally crossed the border from Mexico. The woman crossed in a remote area near Sierra Blanca, Texas.

Border Patrol agents rescued two migrants who became dangerously dehydrated at opposite ends of the U.S. Mexico border. The rescues took place last week in the Rio Grande Valley and San Diego Sectors after illegal border crossings.

CBP Air and Marine Operations agents assisted in the interdiction and seizure of more than one ton of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel near Puerto Rico. The seizure led to the arrest and indictment of three people for a variety of drug trafficking and maritime law violations.

CBP Air and Marine Operations agents operating Guardian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) assisted in the seizure of five tons of drugs during a three-day period in March. Officials released information on Friday reporting the seizure of approximately $127 million in contraband.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter aircrew rescued three adult migrants and three infants from a remote section of the Rio Grande border with Mexico. Human smugglers abandoned the migrants on a peninsula.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents and an Air and Marine Operations interdiction agent rescued a migrant father and his 2-year-old son from drowning in an Arizona border canal. A Yuma Station agent risked his life by jumping into the waters to pull the boy to safety.

CBP Air and Marine Operations crews and U.S. Border Patrol agents teamed up to interdict a human smuggling incident off the coast of Southern California. The off-shore incident was the second in the past week and led to the apprehension of multiple migrants and a human smuggler.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew and Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents rescued an abandoned female migrant from a steep canyon near the Arizona border with Mexico. Video released by CBP shows the aircrew lifting the woman from the canyon floor and transporting her to safety.

A CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrew rescued a hiker from freezing conditions in a mountainous region near the Arizona border with Mexico. The man suffered frostbite and hypothermia.

CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) crews teamed up with other law enforcement agencies to interdict a boat traveling from the U.S. to the Bahamas with unreported currency onboard.

Federal law enforcement partners teamed up to seize 333 pounds of methamphetamine off the coast of Southern California. The seizure took place on a vessel near Huntington Beach.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations agents interdicted a drug smuggling attempt and seized 450 pounds of cocaine off the coast of Culebra, Puerto Rico.

An aerial interdiction by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew led to the seizure of nearly two tons of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. Officials estimate the drugs to be worth approximately $65 million.

A Tucson Air Branch Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter aircrew teamed up with U.S. Border Patrol agents to rescue two migrants in the Boboquivari Wilderness Peak area. One became injured after falling in a steep canyon.

CBP Air and Marine Operations teamed up with other federal departments and a foreign government to seize more than 3,700 pounds of cocaine during a 10-day period. The joint air and sea operation in the eastern Caribbean Sea resulted in the arrest of 19 suspected drug smugglers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew teamed up with Coast Guard vessels to interdict a drug smuggling operation in the Caribbean Sea near the coast of Puerto Rico, officials stated.

A Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agent rescued an Uzbekistani woman with the help of an Air and Marine Operations agent. The woman appeared to be in danger of drowning in the Rio Grande.

Tucson Branch Air and Marine Operations aircrews carried out two rescues in recent days after migrants became lost in the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness area in Arizona.

Unmanned Aircraft System flights carried out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection led to multiple arrests along the Texas-Mexico border last week.

A six-hour nighttime maritime search operation led to the apprehension of 15 migrants on a boat off the coast of California. The search involved a coordinated effort between CBP’s Air and Marine Operations aircrews and water-based rescue vessels.

A coordinated effort between a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrew and U.S. Border Patrol agents led to the seizure of “thousands of pounds” of suspected methamphetamine.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircrew teamed up with a Coast Guard vessel to rescue 14 people from a capsized human smuggling boat. During the interdiction, officials found three packages containing 82 pounds of methamphetamine in the water off the coast of San Diego, California.

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents carried out five separate rescues of migrants in distress in desert and wilderness areas near the Mexican border. The rescues led to the saving of two small children and 15 adults.

Drug seizures jumped 50 percent in June under the combined efforts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s officers and agents. Included in these is a nearly 70 percent increase in cocaine and a 151 percent rise in fentanyl.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations agents interdicted a maritime human smuggling attempt off the coast of California. The smugglers attempted to move 18 illegal immigrants into the United States.

CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents tracked an ocean-going boat with a load of migrants for 6.5 hours before interdicting the failed human smuggling effort off the coast of California. The interdiction marks the second human smuggling bust in as many days for AMO agents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations agents teamed up to interdict a human smuggling attempt off the coast of California. The smugglers spray painted their boat black in a failed effort to avoid the attention of law enforcement.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter aircrew found and rescued five hikers who became lost in a mountainous desert area in southern Arizona.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter aircrews facilitated the rescue of multiple migrants who became lost and dehydrated in the Arizona desert. The rescues on Thursday led to the hospitalization of one severely dehydrated woman and the rescue of several others in the Yuma Sector.

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents rescued four illegal border crossers who became lost in the Jacumba Mountain Wilderness on April 23. The agents found the four people severely dehydrated but otherwise in good health before processing them for return to Mexico.