PHOTOS: Migrants Stranded on 30-Foot Border Wall in California

San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a group of migrants who became stranded atop a new 30-foot border wall. The migrants were abandoned on the wall by their human smugglers.

Agents patrolling the border near Otay Mesa, California, observed a group of three stranded on top of a recently constructed 30-foot border wall around midnight January 5. The man and two women attempted to illegally cross the border under the cover of dense fog but became stuck on the slippery wall when their smugglers abandoned them, according to information obtained from San Diego Sector Border Patrol officials.

Agents contacted the San Diego Fire Department for assistance. Fire department rescue crews utilized a ladder truck to remove the illegal immigrants from their precarious perch.

Agents questioned the three and determined them to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States. Officials said there was one man, 36, and two women ages 20 and 18.

“These three were very fortunate to not have fallen from the top of the wall which could have resulted in serious injury or death,” San Diego Sector’s Acting Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a written statement. “These dangers are not important considerations to smugglers, who place an emphasis on profits over safety.”