13 Migrants Rescued in California Desert Mountains near Border

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents rescued 13 migrants who became lost in the desert mountains after illegally crossing the border from Mexico. The 13 were returned to Mexico under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols.

Mexican officials with Grupo Beta contacted the El Centro Sector Foreign Operations Branch (FOB) on Saturday at about 6:46 p.m. regarding a group of people who became lost in the Jacumba Wilderness region near the border located in the mountains south of Ocotillo, California, according to information obtained from El Centro Sector Border Patrol officials. The FOB contacted Border Patrol agents to begin a search for the missing migrants.

The agents, with the assistance of El Centro Sector Special Operations Detachment (SOD) agents and a Border Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) K-9 team, began a search and rescue near the reported coordinates. Within about an hour and a half, Grupo Beta officials in Mexico received a second distress call and provided updated coordinates to U.S. Border Patrol FOB officials.

At about 9:30 p.m. the SOD agents located the first group of six migrants. The SOD agents located the remaining seven missing migrants at about 11:17 p.m.

BORSTAR paramedics arrived on the scene and provided water to the people and carried out a medical screening. An immigration interview identified all 13 as illegal aliens from Mexico. Officials reported the group consisted of ten adults and three juveniles.

Under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all 13, including the juveniles, were expelled to Mexico after a medical screening and criminal background investigation.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.