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Border Patrol Rescues 15 Trapped in Open-Pit Mine

Release Date
Wed, 07/20/2016

TUCSON, Ariz. – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents rescued 15 individuals Tuesday trapped in an open-pit mine in Green Valley, Arizona.

Tucson Station agents had to rescue 15 illegal aliens trapped in an open-pit mine in Green Valley
Tucson Station agents had to rescue
15 illegal aliens who were trapped in an
open-pit mine in Green Valley, Ariz.

Agents assigned to the Tucson Station were tracking a group of suspected undocumented migrants on Duval Mining Company property when the subjects entered the mine.

Agents risked their own safety and climbed down to the group to prevent them from endangering themselves further. After ensuring no one was injured, the agents realized that loose soil lining the mine’s edge would make it too dangerous for anyone to exit safely.

Tucson Sector’s BORSTAR agents then deployed to the area to conduct an emergency extraction using ropes.

Agents later identified the group to be adult males from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, illegally present in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021