Lost Migrant Rescued in Texas Miles from Mexican Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a lost migrant who illegally crossed the border from Mexico on July 21. The migrant called 911 for assistance after running out of water.

Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials received a 911 call from a migrant who said he was lost in the brush near Freer, Texas. The man said he became lost and had no food or water. He also reported he could no longer feel his feet, according to information obtained from Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

Dispatchers contacted Laredo Sector Border Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents to initiate a search and rescue operation for the man who became lost southeast of Freer. Agents assigned to the Freer Border Patrol Station joined in the search and eventually located the man.

BORSTAR agents began medical first aid for the migrant and provided IV fluids to stabilize him. Other agents conducted an immigration interview and identified the man as a Mexican national illegally present in the United States.

“The Laredo Sector Border Patrol cannot stress enough the dangers and risks that undocumented individuals place themselves in when commencing their illegal journey into the United States,” Laredo Sector officials said in a written statement. “They subject themselves to human smugglers who guide them through remote areas during the high temperatures of summer and will abandon them at the first sign of danger. Laredo Sector agents will continue to render aid to those exploited and abandoned by human smugglers.”

So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2020, Border Patrol agents assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border sectors carried out 9,992 rescues through the end of June. This is up from 5,071 for the entire Fiscal Year 2020.