Border Patrol agents save migrants during two separate rescue missions
One man saved in the wilderness, another pulled from a canal
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - El Centro Border Patrol agents responded to two separate rescue missions last weekend, and in at least one case, they managed to save a man's life.
Agents encountered the first man Friday night around 7:30 Friday in the Jacumba Wilderness near In-Koh-Pah. The injured migrant was in pain and could not move.
Agents determined he had a broken ankle. They called in Border Search and Trauma Rescue (BORSTAR) and a medevac helicopter. BORSTAR agents assessed the man's condition, treated his injuries, then loaded him into a litter. They then carried him down the side of a mountain to an area where the helicopter could airlift him to the hospital.
Paramedics flew the 47-year-old man to San Diego for treatment. Once doctors release him, he'll be processed and deported.
Then, just before midnight Sunday, surveillance cameras spotted two men crossing the border illegally and getting into the Briar Canal. That's about 11-miles west of the Calexico West Port of Entry.
Agents responded to the location and saw one of the migrants struggling to stay above water. They immediately launched a floatation device toward the drowning man, and pulled him to safety.
They evaluated both men's medical conditions, and determined neither was injured during their ordeal. Agents then ran criminal background checks on both before escorting them back across the border.
