OCOTILLO, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector rescued six individuals in the Jacumba Wilderness region near Ocotillo, in two separate events.
The first rescue was initiated at approximately 7:15 p.m., Thursday, when Sector Dispatch notified El Centro Station of a 9-1-1 call, from two hikers stating they were lost. Agents were notified of the distress call and responded to the last known GPS coordinates provided by the hikers. At approximately 7:53 p.m., agents located a total of five hikers, two miles north of the California State Route 2. The hikers were found to be safe and did not require medical attention.
The second rescue was dispatched at approximately 6:50 a.m., Friday, when El Centro Sector’s Foreign Operations Branch notified El Centro Station of a call they received from a Mexican citizen, who illegally crossed into the United States alone, in need of assistance. Agents were notified of the distress call and responded to the last known GPS coordinates of the individual.
At approximately 7:10 a.m., agents successfully contacted this individual via cell phone. Agents instructed the distressed individual to wait for their assistance as they would also be providing water for him. Agents located the lost male, three miles north of the U.S./Mexico border.
After a wellness check it was determined no medical assistance was needed, and it was verified that he did not possess the required documents to be present in the United States legally. The Mexican national was taken into custody and transported to the El Centro Sector Processing Center for additional medical evaluation and to be processed accordingly.
Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have successfully rescued 76 individuals who were lost, in distress, or abandoned by smugglers.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.