Laredo Border Patrol Agents Rescue Lost Migrant

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents responded to a 911 call from an illegal immigrant who became lost on a ranch after illegally crossing the border from Mexico. After an extensive search including ground-based agents and a helicopter aircrew, the agents found the subject and completed the rescue operation.

Agents assigned to the Laredo Border Patrol Station received a call for help on May 23. The 911 call originated from a ranch near Rio Bravo, Texas. Officials dispatched Border Patrol agents and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter aircrew to help locate and rescue the migrant who had been abandoned by his human smuggler.

The search team quickly located the subject and found him to be in good health. However, in the heat of the approaching Texas summer, a few hours could have made a major difference.

The agents learned the man is a Mexican national who illegally crossed the border in this area that is well known for drug and human smuggling.

“These events illustrate how the men and women of the United States Border Patrol not only serve to protect our borders, but are also committed to the preservation of life and assist anyone in need,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel H. Acosta said in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.
Dozens of migrants have been found dead in this sector during fiscal year 2017, Laredo Sector officials disclosed to Breitbart Texas. Sector officials work diligently to warn migrants about the dangers of crossing illegally in this region.

“The Laredo Sector Border Patrol will continue to warn against the dangers of people crossing illegally into the United States through dangerous environmental conditions,” officials stated. “Our Border Safety Initiative (BSI) is a humanitarian, bi-national strategy designed to reduce illegal alien deaths, educate and inform potential illegal aliens of the dangers and hazards of crossing the border illegally, and to respond to those who are in life-threatening situations.”
The lives of nearly 700 illegal immigrants may have been saved by these efforts, Breitbart Texas reported earlier in May. The rescues occurred along the Rio Grand River, in ranches where migrants attempt to circumvent Border Patrol immigration checkpoints, also in cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers.

In total, Laredo Sector agents rescued 680 migrants through between October 1, 2017 and May 14, 2018.

In one example, agents assigned to the Cotulla Station and the Laredo Horse Patrol Unit rescued an illegal immigrant on a ranch located northwest of Laredo. The agents came upon the man while tracking a group of illegal immigrants who had just crossed the border. The agents treated the man for dehydration. The Mexican national also claimed to have been assaulted by his human smuggler. After addressing the man’s immediate medical needs, the agents transported him to a hospital for further treatment.

In another case, Laredo North agents responded to a call for assistance from an illegal immigrant who became lost on a ranch located northwest of the Texas border town. After being abandoned by his human smuggler and wandering in the brush for three days without food or water, the Mexican national finally called for help on May 9. Agents located the Guatemalan national and found him suffering from dehydration and severe foot blisters. An agent trained in emergency medicine treated the man.

And, on May 7, Laredo North agents responded to another call of an illegal immigrant lost on a ranch northwest of Laredo. The call came too late for the man’s cousin, who died from exposure to the harsh conditions in South Texas, officials stated.