TECATE, Calif. — U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to a request for help early Monday morning when a group of migrants, including a pregnant, unaccompanied, 15-year-old girl, became lost near Tecate Peak.
At approximately 1 a.m., agents received a report of four lost migrants near Tecate Mountain. Agents were able to quickly locate all four of the lost migrants despite the extremely rugged and mountainous terrain.
Upon locating the group, agents conducted a basic medical assessment and determined that all four people were in good health and that one person, a 15-year-old female Mexican national, was pregnant.
Further questioning the group, agents determined all four people were Mexican nationals in the United States illegally.
The migrants stated they had been instructed by smugglers to hike north to the next highway after they illegally crossed the border. After hiking for hours, they became lost in the dark, mountainous terrain. Agents transported the four undocumented migrants to a nearby Border Patrol Station for further medical evaluation and processing.
In addition to the 15-year-old girl, there was also a 16-year-old unaccompanied boy, a 19-year-old male teen, and 38-year-old man.
“Our agents go to great lengths to help others,” said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke. “If not for their grit and selflessness, this situation could have ended much worse.”