TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona successfully responded to 10 separate calls for help over the weekend, rescuing a total of 25 men, women and children.
Tucson Sector agents rescued the illegal border crossers from desert and mountainous areas across southern Arizona. Several incidents began as emergency calls from mothers who had been abandoned by their smugglers. The women and their children were lost, hungry and suffering from exposure to the cold.
Temperatures this past weekend dipped as low as 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Though many believe the Arizona desert is safer now than during the summer, the risks of dehydration and hypothermia are extremely high during the winter months.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, provided air support for the rescue efforts. Several individuals required medical attention for non-life threatening injuries and were transported to local area hospitals.
Anyone in immediate distress in Arizona’s vast outdoor recreational and wilderness areas is urged to call 911 or to seek out a rescue beacon. U.S. Customs and Border Protection works closely with other federal, tribal, state and local partners to resolve search and rescue operations across southern Arizona.