Border agents rescue drowning man

On Monday evening, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector rescued a drowning man from the All-American Canal, a Customs and Border Protection news release stated.

Around 6 p.m., agents observed three individuals illegally enter the United States 12 miles east of the Calexico port of entry.

Agents responded to the area and saw three men swimming north in the canal.

Agents moved in and apprehended one individual while the other two made an attempt to swim back toward Mexico.

Agents noticed that one of the subjects was having difficulty swimming across the canal. Agents called out to the individual and encouraged him to come back to the canal bank to avoid drowning.

The smugglers on the southern side of the canal called out to the subject, telling them to ignore the Border Patrol. The agents deployed rescue devices near the man in attempt to pull him to safety, but they were unsuccessful. The subject began to display signs of panic and physical exhaustion. Agents fearing this man life was in imminent danger, removed their body armor and duty belts to enter the water and save the subject.

The agents successfully pulled the subject to safety and placed him into a service vehicle in order to stabilize his body temperature. Agents then assessed the man, a 19-year-old Mexican national, for any other potential issues.

The man declined further medical attention.

The two men were transported to El Centro station to be processed for illegal entry. The third individual made it back to Mexico while his companion was being rescued.