OCOTILLO, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector rescued sixteen undocumented individuals in the Jacumba Wilderness region.
The rescue started at approximately 12:15 a.m., Thursday, when Sector Dispatch notified El Centro station of a 9-1-1 call, they received from an individual who stated he was lost along with fifteen other individuals and needed assistance.
Agents in the field were notified of the distress call and responded to the last known GPS coordinates provided. At approximately 2:32 a.m., agents located all sixteen lost individuals one mile north of the U.S./Mexico border.
All individuals were found to be safe and did not require medical attention. Agents verified that they did not possess the required documents to be present in the United States legally. The individuals were taken into custody and transported to the El Centro Sector Processing Center to be processed accordingly.
Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have successfully rescued 253 individuals who were lost, in distress, or abandoned by smugglers.
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