Air and Marine Operations find 2 migrants lost in the desert

AJO, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - United States Customs and Border Protection with the help of Air and Marine Operations were able to locate two migrants left in the desert.

On Friday evening, while a Yuma Air Branch AS350 (ASTAR) aircrew was on the field, they reported a group of migrants on a remote east side of the Sierra Pinta Mountains between Wellton and the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

There was a small light that was reflecting in the same region where the migrants were reported.

Assuming someone needed help, the aircrew headed towards the light and came upon two distressed people who were attempting to signal for help with a fire.

The aircrew utilized the public address system to let the people know to not move and an agent would pick them up.

Since there was a delay in travel time to pick up the migrants, the aircrew made a landing to aid the two people and give them water, offer comfort and overall assess them until agents arrived.

The pair included a mother and adult son who were with three other people that all illegally crossed just eight days prior.

They both shared how they were left behind by the rest of the group due to fatigue from lack of water for a length of five days.

The mother was facing issues of pain in her legs.

Ajo Border Patrol agents came a few hours after the aircrew and took the two to the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

“The aircrew's diligence and professionalism certainly saved the person's lives,” said Director of Air Operations, Yuma Air Branch, Douglas Murray. “The remote and extreme terrain of the Sonoran Desert, the lack of water and the injuries are fully capable of producing deadly results for the pair. But not in this case.”