17 Migrants Rescued on Arizona Bombing Range

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a group of 17 migrants who became lost on the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range on Monday night.

The Yuma Sector Operations Center received a call at about 10 p.m. on Monday that had been transferred from a Mexican emergency services group. The caller stated they were lost in the desert, according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

The caller stated the group consisted of eight adults and nine juveniles.

The agents initiated a search and rescue operation and at about 11:10 p.m. located the group of 17 illegal immigrants. The group was located about 30 miles east of San Luis and were inside the bombing range area of operations.

“This particular area is especially dangerous for illegal border crossers due to the remoteness of the location,” Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony J. Porvaznik said in a written statement. “In addition to the complete lack of adequate infrastructure to stop this occurrence, illegal aliens must contend with the summer heat and the dangers of military training in the area.”

Despite the dangers, the group appeared in good health and did not require immediate medical attention. The agents arranged transportation for the group to the Yuma Border Patrol Station and provided food, water, and other necessities.

So far this year, Border Patrol agents have carried out more than 3,000 rescues of migrants after they became endangered after illegally crossing the border from Mexico, Breitbart News reported.

“So far this fiscal year, the men and women of the Border Patrol have done over 3,000 rescues,” U.S. Border Patrol Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Brian Hastings told reporters during a recent press call. “We’ve seen a massive increase in the amount of water-related rescues that are taking place — primarily in Del Rio, RGV, and Laredo’s areas of operation.”

“Smugglers do not care how dangerous it is,” John Sanders, acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote in a tweet. “They guide migrants directly into these life-threatening situations.”

Border Patrol agents are not always on hand to rescue migrants in distress. So far this calendar year, at least 159 died during or shortly after crossing the Mexican border into the U.S., according to the International Organization for Migrants’ Missing Migrant Project. Those numbers are expected to worsen in the summer months.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.