Local Border Patrol rescues 2 in separate Friday incidents
Border Patrol conducted two successful rescues over the weekend, according to a Customs and Border Protection press release, reporting an increase in rescues heading into the summer this year.
The first rescue happened on Friday around noon after agents working out of Camp Grip discovered a severely dehydrated 32-year-old Mexican man, who had entered the country illegally. He was too dehydrated to hold any fluids down, so an agent with emergency medical training had to administer intravenous fluids.
The agents received immediate air evacuation help from CareFlight, which dispatched a helicopter to fly the man to Abrazo West Campus, a hospital in Goodyear.
The next morning, the man’s kidney functions were determined to be better and he was deported in the evening through Title 42 Authority, which allows quicker deportations for public health safety reasons.
The second rescue happened on Friday evening. The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office called Wellton Station agents to tell them someone south of Tacna had called in distress. Tacna is an unincorporated area east of Wellton, and the individual was in distress 10 miles south of the area.
The individual was a 47-year-old man from Mexico who had entered the country illegally. YCSO provided the coordinates to find the man, and a Yuma Sector Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) team found the man on the east side of the Copper Mountains about a half hour later.
The man was medically screened and didn’t require further medical attention. He was deported immediately as well under Title 42 Authority.
Yuma Sector expects to see more rescue attempts as the weather heats up, according to the press release.
“Yuma Sector Agents are aware that with climbing temperatures, there may be increased rescue attempts in the upcoming months,” the release reads. “Yuma Sector Agents are dedicated to safeguarding our citizens, while making every humanitarian effort possible to rescue anyone who places their life in peril by choosing to make the dangerous trek through the desert.”