Three Distressed Individuals Rescued in the Mountains

Three Distressed Individuals Rescued in the Mountains
Aerial view of desert hills under blue sky in Californias Mojave desert, near Ridgecrest. Small rock formations, desert brush.

OCOTILLO, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector rescued three undocumented individuals in the Jacumba Wilderness region near Ocotillo, Wednesday night.

The incident occurred at about 10:23 p.m., when the El Centro Sector Foreign Operations Branch notified El Centro Border Patrol Station about an undocumented individual who was in distress after illegally crossing into the United States and running out of water. The individual stated he was accompanied by two other individuals. The individual provided his name, phone number and GPS coordinates.   

Agents working in the field were notified and responded to the area using the provided GPS coordinates. At about 11 p.m., agents located the three individuals, conducted welfare checks, and determined they did not need medical assistance.

The three men, all Mexican nationals, were taken into custody and transported to the El Centro Sector Processing Center to be processed accordingly.

Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have rescued 225 individuals abandoned by smugglers, lost or in distress.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.