SAN DIEGO – At least 43 migrant rescues were reported in San Diego during the first week of September, the hottest days of the year in the region, according to the Border Patrol.
“When the person can no longer continue to stay with the group, they leave them,” he said.
Gerardo Gutierrez, Border Patrol agent.
In the rocky area east of Otay Mesa, the sound of the warm air between the mountains is often barely interrupted by the footsteps of migrants and their cries for help. One of these cases involved a minor.
“I told my mother to leave me, but she didn’t continue with all her strength,” said the minor in a video recorded by the Desert Angels organization.
Border Patrol Chief Patricia McGurck warned on social media that human traffickers are abandoning people in the scorching temperatures with little or no water.
“They lack water, they are obviously not given water, so many times they have no signal on their phone, they do not have the appropriate clothing and many times they do not have food, so what happens to these people? They are left in a very dangerous situation,” he explained.
While the number of rescues in San Diego has remained between 43 and 45 cases over the past two weeks, authorities say there is fear that migrants will die, as they say they are often found in very poor condition.
“There will be sunburn, there will be fatigue in the body, people will start to have cramps and lose consciousness,” added Gerardo Gutiérrez.
That’s where the Bord Star elements come in with trained canines, helicopters and even first aid training.
In addition to the rescue efforts that are carried out in this area every day, authorities reported that they have a “Missing Migrant” program, which consists of contacting authorities in Mexico to inform families who have no news of a relative who has crossed the border and failed in the attempt.
Authorities added that as of today they do not have the exact number of how many people have died at the San Diego border during this heat wave, however, they assured that during fiscal year 2022 they exceeded 50 deaths.
