TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to an influx of distress calls from lost migrants over the holiday weekend, leading to the rescue of 50 people across southern Arizona.
Sweltering temperatures sparked a bevy of calls to Tucson Sector agents working on the Tohono O’odham Nation. Multiple search and rescue operations resulted in more than a dozen saved lives, all men from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.
Near the southeast corner of the state, agents rescued two migrant men who had exhausted their provisions in agricultural fields north of Douglas. In a second incident, agents located a pair of adult siblings near an abandoned ranch. The brother and sister were lost and disoriented, stifled by the dangerous heat.
In western Arizona, high nighttime temperatures led to a rescue beacon activation along a rugged, isolated mountain trail near Ajo late Saturday evening. Agents found the four Mexican and two Guatemalan men exhausted and low on supplies, though none required advanced medical care.
All persons encountered were found to be illegally present in the United States. They were all expelled to Mexico under Title 42 after a qualified professional medically clears them for travel.
Anyone in immediate distress in Arizona’s vast outdoor recreational and wilderness areas is urged to call 911 or to seek out a rescue beacon. CBP works closely with other federal, tribal, state and local partners to resolve search and rescue operations across southern Arizona.
For more details regarding this news release, contact the Tucson Sector Public Affairs Office at tca-pao@cbp.dhs.gov or by phone at 520-748-3210. Tucson Sector is also LiveU capable. Contact us to schedule an interview.