TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents, assisted by an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter crew, rescued three distressed illegal border crossers in the remote mountains west of Sasabe, Wednesday afternoon.
Tucson Sector agents were routed a 911 call just before 2 p.m. from a man claiming he and two others were lost and in need of help. Utilizing the man’s cell phone signal, agents traced his location to a rugged cliff in the Baboquivari Mountains, three miles north of the border.
Agents assigned to the Tucson Station as well as the Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue team, including two nationally certified EMTs, located the group just after 3 p.m. They found the men attempting to extract water from a cactus, one of them severely dehydrated.
Deportment of Public Safety, who airlifted an
illegal to a local hospital
Agents called for assistance, and a DPS Ranger helicopter crew arrived moments later to perform an aerial hoist extraction. The crew transported the man via helicopter to a local hospital for non-life threatening, heat-related injuries.
Agents provided the other two men with water before hiking them out of the mountains to awaiting vehicles.
“This rescue is a reminder of the dedication our law enforcement and rescue partners have to the safety of others,” said Tucson Sector Chief Roy Villareal. “Selfless individuals from multiple agencies risked their wellbeing to ensure complete strangers had a fighting chance to survive our relentless desert.”
All three men were illegally present in the United States and were expelled under Title 42 authority once determined to be medically fit.
Tucson Sector agents patrol all corners of southern Arizona. More than 240 of them are nationally trained and certified EMTs.
For more details regarding this news release, contact the Tucson Sector Public Affairs Office at tca-pao@cbp.dhs.gov or by phone at 520-748-3210. Tucson Sector is also LiveU capable. Contact us to schedule an interview.