On March 21, 2024, at approximately 10:27 p.m., the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Communications Center reported via service radio that multiple individuals were approaching the secondary International Border Fence approximately 2.7 miles west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and were carrying a ladder. At this location, the secondary International Border Fence is approximately 30 feet tall and is constructed of vertical metal bollards. The north side of the secondary fence has an electrical conduit running across the top the fence, which facilitates the use of an electric gate nearby.
Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) established the following information and timeline based on its preliminary review of radio traffic, remote video surveillance systems footage, body worn camera footage, and interviews of involved migrants and CBP personnel.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., a Border Patrol agent arrived on scene between the primary and secondary fences at the base of the secondary International Border Fence. The agent observed a woman on top of the fence and advised the woman not to go over the fence or attempt to scale down the north side of the fence. Shortly thereafter, the woman crossed to the north side of the secondary fence and attempted to scale down the north side of the fence, but was unable to continue her descent.
At approximately 10:31 p.m., the agent transmitted over radio that the woman was stuck on the north side of the secondary fence and requested the San Diego Fire Department be notified. The woman began yelling for assistance, and the agent advised her that help was on the way.
At approximately 10:33 p.m., the agent told the woman to hold on and not let go, and advised her the fire department was enroute with a ladder. At approximately 10:34 p.m., an unknown individual approached the north side of the fence from a nearby commercial lot and notified the agent that his coworker had a ladder available. The agent advised the individual that they could not utilize any ladders until fire department personnel arrived. At approximately 10:35 p.m., the agent apprehended another migrant who was walking along the south side of the secondary International Border Fence.
At approximately 10:45 p.m., a second agent arrived on the scene at the base of the south side of the secondary International Border Fence in his service vehicle, followed by a San Diego Fire Department fire truck. The first agent on scene explained to the newly arrived agent and fire department personnel that the woman was stuck on the north side of the secondary fence.
The second agent and the fire department truck departed the scene at approximately 10:47 p.m., heading toward a nearby gate that provides access to the north side of the International Border Fence, approximately 520 feet east of the woman’s location. Because of the size of the fire truck, it could not navigate the sharp west turn to enter the gate and took an alternate route to reach the woman’s location.
At approximately 10:48 p.m., the woman yelled she was struggling to hold on to the fence. The agent at the base of the south side of the fence told the woman the fire department would be there to assist within minutes. At approximately 10:50 p.m., an agent arrived on the north side of the fence at the woman’s location. The woman began yelling for them to hurry and yelled she could not hold on any longer. Agents advised the woman that the firefighters were on the way with a ladder and instructed her to hold on as long as she could. At approximately 10:53 p.m., the agent on the north side of the fence drove away to meet with other agents and coordinate the transportation of other migrants apprehended in the area.
At approximately 10:54 p.m., the woman yelled she was going to fall, then subsequently fell from the fence, striking the elevated concrete base on the north side of the secondary fence and ultimately landing on the dirt road below. The agent on the south side of the fence requested emergency medical services via service radio and advised that the woman had fallen.
At approximately 10:59 p.m., another agent arrived at the north side of the fence where the woman had fallen. The agent advised over radio that the woman had massive head trauma and profuse bleeding, and was unresponsive.
At approximately 11:04 p.m., the San Diego Fire Department fire truck arrived at the woman’s location on the north side of the secondary fence. At approximately 11:05 p.m., fire department personnel conducted a medical assessment, noted the woman had no pulse, and initiated CPR.
At approximately 11:17 p.m., a physician located at Scripps Mercy Hospital declared the woman deceased after a telephone consultation with San Diego Fire Department medical personnel at the scene. The woman was identified as a 24-year-old citizen of Guatemala. Officers from the San Diego Police Department arrived on scene at approximately 11:43 p.m.
On March 22, 2024, at approximately 1:20 a.m., personnel from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office arrived on scene and assumed custody of the woman’s body. The medical examiner’s office will perform an autopsy and advised CBP’s OPR the results would be furnished when available.
The San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating this incident. OPR is reviewing it. CBP’s OPR notified the San Diego Fire Department Professional Standards Unit and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General of this incident.
Portions of this incident were captured on body worn cameras of multiple Border Patrol agents. In accordance with the May 25, 2022, Executive Order on Advancing Effective Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, CBP is committed to expeditiously releasing the body worn camera footage of this incident as soon as it is appropriate to do so and will not impact the ongoing law enforcement investigations.
This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.