30 Times Border Patrol Agents Rescued Migrant Children in 2021

U.S. policies and the failure to enforce laws have created strong pull factors which encourage migrants of all ages to risk the dangerous journey across the border. Barriers or walls in urban areas encourage those migrants to enter the U.S. in remote and dangerous places where those barriers or walls have not yet been built. Many of those migrants are children, and below are 30 times U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued them in 2021.

1: Border Patrol Rescues Two Children Abandoned on Texas Border River

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a pair of small children after a human smuggler abandoned them in the Rio Grande border with Mexico. An agent risked his life by entering a swiftly moving creek to save the children from drowning.

2: Border Patrol Agents Rescue Migrant Family in California Mountains near Border

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents rescued three migrant children and a parent who became lost in the California mountains near Mexico. The agents found the group after they activated a rescue beacon.

3: Border Patrol Agents Rescue 5-Year-Old Migrant, 4 Others in AZ Desert

A Tucson Sector Border Patrol official tweeted a report that agents rescued a five-year-old child migrant and four others from the Arizona desert. The migrants utilized a rescue beacon to alert the agents of their distress.

4: Smugglers Abandon Two Unaccompanied Children at Arizona Border

Two young girls were discovered walking across the border alone near Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday. The children were left to make the crossing alone by human smuggler near the Morelos Dam, a common crossing point.

5: Migrant Stowaways Lose Limbs After Train Accident in Texas near Border

Members of a Honduran migrant family suffered severe injuries after falling from a moving freight train. Three of the four family members lost limbs. A Maverick County Sheriff deputy came across the grizzly scene and summoned medical personnel to assist on Tuesday.

6: Group of 130 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Apprehended in AZ near Border

Border Patrol agents in Tucson, Arizona, arrested 160 migrants crossing in one large group. They were determined to be from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Nearly 130 unaccompanied migrant children (UACs) were part of the group.

7: Human Smugglers Abandon Mother, Child on Texas Ranch 80 Miles from Border

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents carried out multiple rescues of migrants in life-threatening situations over the past few days. One included a mother and her nine-year-old son who human smugglers abandoned in the deadly ranch lands of Brooks County, Texas.

8: 83 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Found in Single Group in Arizona Desert

On Friday, Border Patrol agents near San Miguel, Arizona, arrested 93 migrants in a single group moving through the desert. Of the 93, 83 were determined to be unaccompanied children. Of those 83, 70 claimed to be between the ages of 15- and 17-years-old.

9: Abandoned Migrant Teen Rescued 60 Miles from Border in Texas

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a migrant teen who had been abandoned by human smugglers. The agents found the Mexican minor approximately 60 miles from the border.

10: Exclusive Video: Migrants Bring Abandoned 7-Year-Old Across Rio Grande

As a group of Central American migrants celebrated their arrival to the United States, one said she found a seven-year-old girl abandoned along the way. The young girl told Breitbart Texas she had no idea where her parents were. She clung to the woman who found her as they marched out of the darkness along the riverbank.

11: U.S.-Mexico Effort Leads to Rescue of 8 Migrants in California near Border

An El Centro Sector Border Patrol Horse Patrol Unit rescued eight migrants who became lost in the desert after illegally crossing from Mexico. The rescue of the four adults and four minors came from the successful coordination of efforts between the Government of Mexico and U.S. Border Patrol.

12: Three Migrant Children Rescued in Texas After Getting Lost near Border

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials received a 911 call from migrant children who became lost after crossing from Mexico.

13: Cartel Smugglers Toss Infants, Children into Texas Border River

Border Patrol agents and Coast Guard crews rescued migrants across the Rio Grande Valley Sector after human smugglers put them in jeopardy. In multiple incidents, smugglers moved women, children, and even infants into the river that separates Texas and Mexico. One woman was saved after an alleged sexual assault attempt.

14: 83 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Found in Single Group in AZ Desert

On Friday, Border Patrol agents near San Miguel, Arizona, arrested 93 migrants in a single group moving through the desert. Of the 93, 83 were determined to be unaccompanied children. Of those 83, 70 claimed to be between the ages of 15- and 17-years-old.

15: WATCH: 40 Unaccompanied Migrant Minors Rescued near Border River in Texas

El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents found a group of 40 unaccompanied migrant children along the rushing waters that separate Texas and Mexico. Despite warnings, five jumped into the river and had to be rescued.

16: WATCH: Agent Requires Medical Care After Rescuing Drowning Migrant near Border in Texas

The actions of a McAllen Station Border Patrol agent led to the rescue of a drowning juvenile migrant near the Texas-Mexico boundary. Officials said both the agent and the juvenile required medical attention after the rescue. Other Rio Grande Valley Sector agents also rescued migrants in distress over the same weekend.

17: 24 Migrants Rescued in California, Texas Border Sectors over Weekend

Border Patrol agents at opposite ends of the country rescued at least 24 migrants who became injured or distressed after illegally crossing from Mexico. Some sustained injuries while others fell prey to the increasing summer heat along the U.S.-Mexico Border.

18: Two-Year-Old Migrant Child, Parents Rescued from Swift Currents in Texas Border River

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a two-year-old child and two parents from the swiftly moving currents of the Rio Grande. Agents found an additional 20 migrants trapped on a small island in the river.

19: EXCLUSIVE LEAKED VIDEO: Human Smugglers Drop Small Children from Border Wall in New Mexico

A U.S. Border Patrol surveillance video leaked to Breitbart Texas shows a human smuggler dropping two small children from a border wall near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The children, ages 3 and 5, were transported to a local hospital for evaluation, according to a law enforcement source.

20: Human Smugglers Abandon Two Small Children in Texas near Border

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents found two small children walking alone near the Rio Grande border. Officials say human smugglers abandoned the children in a remote area south of Del Rio, Texas.

21: Infant Tossed into Rio Grande by Human Smugglers Rescued by Texas Rangers

A Texas Ranger worked with U.S. Border Patrol agents to rescue a six-month-old migrant girl after human smugglers threw her into the Rio Grande near Roma, Texas. The infant’s mother had reportedly been assaulted by the smugglers in Mexico and sustained a broken leg.

22: Texas Sheriff’s Deputies Rescue Suffocating Migrants from U-Haul Truck

On Monday, a dispatcher working for the Refugio County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) answered two 911 emergency calls coming from a local convenience store. The distressed callers described cries for help and banging noises coming from the back of a U-Haul cargo rental truck.

23: 9-Yr-Old Migrant Girl Drowns While Crossing Border into Texas

A nine-year-old migrant girl from Guatemala drowned while attempting to cross the Rio Grande with her mother and three-year-old sibling. Agents revived the mother and smaller child.

24: Tractor-Trailer Driver Hauling Migrant Children Flees Texas Border Checkpoint

On Saturday, a semi tractor-trailer driver led Border Patrol agents in Laredo, Texas, on a pursuit after fleeing from an immigration checkpoint on Interstate 35. The driver was asked to pull aside for a closer inspection after a K-9 alerted to the possible presence of humans or narcotics inside the trailer. The vehicle fled in response.

25: WATCH: 5 Migrant Girls, Under Age 6, Abandoned Overnight on Texas Bank of Rio Grande

A Texas rancher living north of Eagle Pass discovered five unaccompanied migrant children abandoned by smugglers on their farmland Saturday night. The five small girls, ranging in ages from one to six years old, were led across the Rio Grande River and abandoned the evening before. The human smugglers left them with no food, water, or any adults to care for them throughout the night.

26: 3 Adult Migrants, 3 Infants Rescued by Aircrew in Remote Rio Grande Border Area

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter aircrew rescued three adult migrants and three infants from a remote section of the Rio Grande border with Mexico. Human smugglers abandoned the migrants on a peninsula.

27: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Unaccompanied Migrant Children Search for Border Patrol in South Texas

Breitbart Texas posted up near Mission, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley Sector to briefly interview migrants walking trails as they searched for Border Patrol. At one point, a group of five unaccompanied alien children (UACs) stopped to share their stories.

28: Migrant Father, 2-Year-Old Son Rescued from Arizona Border Canal

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents and an Air and Marine Operations interdiction agent rescued a migrant father and his 2-year-old son from drowning in an Arizona border canal. A Yuma Station agent risked his life by jumping into the waters to pull the boy to safety.

29: Border Patrol Rescues Migrants in California after Smugglers Abandoned Them

Border Patrol agents in Southern California rescued multiple migrants after they were abandoned by human smugglers. Agents found the migrants, including an unaccompanied juvenile, in near-freezing conditions.

30: Migrant Delivers Baby in Frigid Weather on Banks of Border River in Texas

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents rescued a migrant woman who had just delivered a baby in subfreezing conditions near the Texas border with Mexico.

The articles above reflect just some of the rescues of migrant children carried out this year. Agents are also involved in the rescues of adult migrants. An extensive list of migrant rescue articles can be found here.