San Ysidro.- A group of six migrants of Haitian origin who were trying to cross into the United States through the Tijuana River channel, were stranded and were rescued by agents of the Border Patrol, Rescue and Fire Department of San Diego County.
The events were recorded this Wednesday, when immigration officials observed from the US side the six men who were crossing the river on the Tijuana side.
Due to recent rains, the river’s flow was unusually deep, and the current faster than normal on the west side, just outside the San Ysidro port of entry, stranding the six men on a mound of dirt in half of the pipeline.
Border Patrol agents requested support from the San Diego County Fire and Rescue Department, as well as the San Diego River Lifeguard Rescue Team.
It was the latter who entered the pipeline in a yellow raft and reached the mound where the Haitian migrants were sheltering.
The group of people was taken from the US side where personnel from the Emergency Medical Services performed a medical evaluation on site.
They were then taken into Border Patrol custody and transported to a nearby immigration station.
The chief agent of the San Diego sector patrol, Aaron Heitke, recalled the risks involved in crossing the border illegally.
“We’ve said it many times, don’t put your life or the lives of your loved ones in the hands of callous smugglers,” he said.
And he affirmed that the only safe way to enter the United States is through the ports of entry assigned for it.
