Ajo Station Border Patrol agents responding to a 911 call and rescue beacon activations in the west desert Tuesday night rescued five distressed migrants who had crossed illegally into the United States.
Agents at the Ajo Station received a 911 call at approximately 9 p.m. regarding four distressed migrants who claimed they had been wandering in the desert for five days.
Agents were unable to determine the migrants’ exact location based on the call but were able to guide the migrants to a nearby rescue beacon.
Once the migrants arrived at the beacon, agents encountered four male adult Mexican nationals who, although distressed, declined medical care.
The U.S. Border Patrol has 34 rescue beacons currently deployed in remote areas of Arizona where cellular phones and other communication devices may not be functioning.
Rescue beacons are designed to be visible from long distances and offer lifesaving assistance to those persons stranded or lost.
Additionally, Rescue beacons have been fitted with signage, mirrors to reflect sunlight, and a high intensity blue light visible for up to 10 miles away during night hours, to enhance the coverage of the remote desert areas in which smugglers often abandon migrants.
(Learn More, about the CBP’s use of rescue beacons. Courtesy of AP Archive and YouTube)
Around the same time, a separate rescue beacon was activated west of Ajo. When agents arrived at that location, they encountered one male Honduran who also declined medical care.
All five migrants will be processed for immigration violations in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines.
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.
