Border Patrol agents rescued an immigrant from a desolate desert area after being lost for five days.
“As temperatures climb in the West Texas desert, smugglers unfortunately continue to put the lives of migrants at risk,” said Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak. “The combined efforts of agents from the Presidio and Marfa stations saved another life. I am proud of the lifesaving work our agents do.”
On June 7, 2020, agents at the Presidio Station received a phone call from a concerned family member that feared a relative who had crossed illegally into the United States from Mexico was lost. Agents from Presidio and Marfa Stations began a combined search of surrounding areas to locate the individual.
In the early morning hours of June 9, 2020, following an extensive 36-hour search, agents located the individual. The individual was identified as a citizen of Mexico, and advised agents that he had been in the area for the past five days, was hungry, but otherwise okay. Further checks verified the individual was the same person agents were notified of to initiate the search.
After a medical evaluation by EMT’s at the Marfa Station, the individual was deemed medically clear and will be processed per applicable immigration laws.
Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents, patrol 517 miles of the southwest border, an area that extends from Sierra Blanca, Texas to Sanderson, Texas. The Marfa Station is responsible for 68 border miles between the U.S. and Mexico. In the interior of the Marfa Station Area of Responsibility (AOR), are the communities of Marfa, Valentine, and Ft. Davis. On the Rio Grande, lie the communities of Ruidosa and Candelaria. Sparse population exists between these communities and area ranches. The entire population for the Marfa Station AOR is less than 5,000.
The U.S. Border Patrol is made up of over 19,000 brave men and women who courageously secure our nation’s borders. Help us secure our homeland, find out more on the CBP Careers website.