TUCSON, Ariz.– Three male illegal aliens found themselves in a dangerous situation in the Baboquivari Mountains southwest of Tucson, called 9-1-1 for help and were rescued early Wednesday by CBP Air and Marine Operations and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
treated after being rescued
After their call was relayed to a Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) team, they boarded a CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter launched from the Tucson Air Branch to locate the men.
The men claiming to be stranded on a precarious mountain ledge were soon located on the side of a cliff on Baboquivari Peak, west of State Route 286. Agents determined the men, identified as two Mexican nationals, ages 19 and 20, and a 31-year-old Guatemalan national, would require an aerial extraction due to treacherous terrain.
After BORSTAR agents medically stabilized two of the men injured earlier in the day, AMO’s flight crew hoisted all three men to awaiting ambulances.
EMTs from Three Points Fire Department transported the two injured men to area hospitals for further treatment. The third man, although exhausted, was uninjured and transported to the Tucson Border Patrol Station for processing.
All three men will be processed for immigration violations once medically cleared for travel.
In the Tucson Sector’s harsh desert environment, border security operations often turn into humanitarian rescue missions. Border Patrol officials encourage anyone in distress, or witnessing others in distress, to call 9-1-1 or activate a rescue beacon before a casualty occurs.