WATCH: CBP Aircrew Rescues Injured Migrant Woman from Arizona Mountain near Border

A CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrew rescued an injured woman who became trapped on a mountain range near the Arizona border with Mexico.

Arizona Air Coordination Center dispatchers received a 911 call from a woman claiming to be injured in the Baboquivari Mountains near the Mexican border on June 5. Aircrew members of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the Tucson Air Branch rushed to the scene to find the 37-year-old Guatemalan woman.

After locating the injured migrant woman, the aircrew members decided to insert a rescue specialist who is trained as an EMT. The crew used a 100-foot joist to lower the rescue crewmember to the floor of the canyon, according to a statement from CBP officials.

The rescue specialist triaged the injured woman and prepared to hoist her to the helicopter with an Air Rescue Vest, officials reported. After the successful hoist extraction, the aircrew flew the woman to the San Miguel Forward Operating Base.

There, an ambulance transported the woman to the Sells, Arizona, Indian Hospital for evaluation and treatment for her undisclosed injuries.

“Our mission is to provide (an) unwavering commitment to the preservation of life no matter the scenario,” Tucson Air Branch Deputy Director Jose Muriente said in a written statement. “Our personnel are outfitted with the latest equipment and technology to provide humanitarian assistance to people experiencing unforgiving terrain often resulting in injuries and even loss of life.”

Between October 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, AMO and Border Patrol agents rescued more than 17,900 migrants. Migrant rescues increased in each of the previous four fiscal years from about 5,000 in FY19 to more than 22,000 in FY22, according to a CBP Enforcement Statistics report.