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CBP Air and Marine Operations Crew Rescues Lost Migrants

Release Date
Mon, 07/24/2017

DEL RIO, Texas – A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrew rescued two undocumented over the weekend.

U.S. CBP Air and Marine Operations AS-350 "A-Star" helicopter.
U.S. CBP Air and Marine Operations
AS-350 "A-Star" helicopter.

“Fortunately we were able to find these two individuals and get them to safety,” said Jeremy Battenfield, Director of Air Operations, Uvalde Air Branch. “The South Texas countryside is a harsh and unforgiving landscape.

“CBP continues to stress the dangers of crossing the border illegally.”

U.S. Border Patrol notified AMO, requesting assistance, after receiving a call from Crystal City Police Department around 7 a.m., July 23, regarding a 911 call from a man and woman who were lost and in distress. An AMO air crew in an AS-350 “A-Star” helicopter searched the area where the 911 call originated. After a series of phone calls between the two stranded migrants and Border Patrol personnel, the air crew was able to find the subjects and land at their location.

An Air Enforcement Agent, also a certified Emergency Medical Technician, administered an IV to one of the subjects, a 38-year-old man, who was suffering from severe dehydration. Due to the remoteness of the location, the air crew loaded the man and his traveling companion, a 32-year-old woman, into the helicopter and flew them to a waiting Border Patrol vehicle. Border Patrol agents transported the two subjects to a local hospital, accompanied by the EMT air crew member.

The two subjects, both Mexican citizens, were treated and released from the hospital. Border Patrol agents took custody of the pair. Both subjects were processed according to CBP guidelines.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021