Southern Border Patrol Agents Rescue 17 Migrants, Including Teen Left Behind In The Brush
EDINBURG, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents rescued 17 migrants in a span of three days abandoned by smugglers.
On June 13, Kenedy County Sheriff's Office contacted the Kingsville Border Patrol Station regarding two people who called 911 for help. Unable to triangulate his call, agents established communication with the Ecuadorian national via WhatsApp. Agents were able to obtain his location and transport the two subjects to the Kingsville Border Patrol Station for processing.
Two days later, Kingsville Border Patrol Station agents working on U.S. Highway 77 south of the Kenedy County Rest Area, encountered an Ecuadorian male migrant walking along the road. The migrant was transported to the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol Checkpoint. During processing, he stated he left his 16-year-old son alone in the brush a day and a half prior, because he was having trouble walking. Agents were quickly dispatched to the last known area and were able to locate the teen a few short hours later. He was medically evaluated by a Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technician and was found to be in good health.
Later that afternoon, Brooks County Sheriff's Office contacted the Falfurrias Border Patrol Station regarding four lost people in need of help. The caller, a Salvadoran male, stated he was traveling with two juveniles, one of them unaccompanied. Shortly after, agents were able to find him and four additional lost migrants he was traveling with. The five migrants were evaluated by the station's medical staff and were found to be in good health.
One hour later, the Falfurrias Border Patrol Station received a 911 phone call from a Salvadoran national claiming he was abandoned by a brush guide. The migrant was traveling with six others who became lost in the ranch lands of Brooks County as they attempted to circumvent the Border Patrol checkpoint. Brooks County dispatchers triangulated his call and were able to provide coordinates to his general location. Agents located the group and preliminary health assessments determined that multiple subjects required medical assistance due to extreme dehydration. Four of the migrants were so exhausted, they were carried out of the brush by agents. Agents successfully transported the migrants to a nearby road where EMS provided medical attention and transported them to the nearest hospital. Of the five migrants transported to the hospital, two were admitted.
Border Patrol processed all subjects accordingly.
