On December 11, 2023, at approximately 2:24 p.m., a Border Patrol agent assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Station was flagged down by a female child, who told the agent her mother had collapsed and needed help. The agent located a group of migrants near County 23rd Street and the Salinity Canal, just west of the International Border Barrier, located approximately 1.8 miles northwest of the San Luis Port of Entry. Via service radio, the agent reported the incident and requested emergency medical services for an adult female in the group who was on the ground and unresponsive. The unresponsive woman was later identified as a citizen of Peru. At approximately 2:26 p.m., a second agent arrived. Together, the agents initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The unresponsive woman’s husband told agents she had suddenly become ill and fainted approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the agents arrived.
At approximately 2:37 p.m., San Luis Fire Department personnel arrived on scene and assumed care of the woman. At approximately 2:47 p.m., a San Luis Fire Department ambulance transported the woman to the Yuma Regional Medical Center, followed by an agent who established hospital watch. At approximately 3:29 p.m., the Yuma County Medical Examiner declared the woman deceased.
On December 13, 2023, the Yuma County Medical Examiner advised U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) they would not perform a formal autopsy but will release their findings report. The report details are pending and will be released when available.
CBP’s OPR and the Yuma County Medical Examiner are reviewing this incident. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was notified.