Migrant Woman Airlifted after Breaking Spine Crossing Border

Border Patrol agents rescued a Mexican woman after she fell while illegally entering the U.S. with her boyfriend. The woman fractured her spine after dropping from a 20-foot cliff and was airlifted for treatment.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector utilized the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) to detect a man who had recently crossed the border illegally from Mexico into southern California. The man appeared to be trying to attract attention by waving his arms wildly, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.

Border Patrol agents located the man and learned his girlfriend, who illegally crossed the border with him from Mexico, had fallen down a 20-foot cliff. The agents quickly backtracked the man’s path and found the 22-year-old woman. She told the agents she injured her back in the fall.

Agents contacted local emergency medical responders to come to the woman’s assistance. The EMS team determined the woman needed to be transported via helicopter to a local hospital for treatment.

A REACH helicopter crew flew to the scene and provided transportation to a nearby trauma center.

Agents later learned that an MRI evaluation revealed the woman had suffered a fractured spine. She will require additional medical attention for her injury before she can be processed for removal.

The woman’s 44-year-old boyfriend is being processed for removal by immigration authorities.

The incident occurred when the woman fell from a 20-foot cliff near Ocotillo on Thursday night, officials stated.