PHOENIX – The Border Patrol claims that one of its agents saved a baby and toddler from being left behind by migrants in the western Arizona Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
A migrant from a group border crossingers was arrested on Thursday west of Lukeville, Arizona port of entry. An agent alerted to the location of the children.
An 18-month-old was subsequently found crying and a 4-month-old was discovered face down and unresponsive. They were both taken to the hospital for medical attention and released into custody by Border Patrol.
“Yesterday, smugglers abandoned two children — an infant and toddler — in the Sonoran Desert for them to die,” Chief John Modlin of Tucson Sector Border Patrol stated in a statement. This is more than another case of migrants being exploited by smugglers. It is cruel .”
It was unclear if any of the people arrested were the ones who had been blamed for the abandonment of the children. The authorities did not provide any information about the children including the genders of the parents and guardians, nor the country from which they were born.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument runs along the Mexican border in southwest Arizona. It is a rugged, desert landscape with tall cactuses, and other desert flora. It is located approximately 130 km miles southwest of Phoenix.
Because of its remoteness the 517- mile (1 ,340 kilometer) area is an ideal crossing point for some smugglers. This area is often home to the remains of border-crossers suspected to be human.
While the temperatures at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument frequently soar to the triple digits (above 37.7 degree C during summer), they reached their peak Thursday in the 90s, (above 32.2 C), amid cool monsoon conditions.
The agent that found the children started first aid while waiting for the National Park Service and Border Patrol medical personnel to arrive.
An ambulance transported the children to a hospital where they received additional medical care. Border Patrol officers returned the children to them, trying to place them immediately with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. This agency oversees care for migrant children who have been brought to the U.S. by their parents.
The Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector says it has seen a 12% increase in unaccompanied children being smuggled across the border over the past fiscal year.
