TUCSON, Ariz. — Three Mexican migrants were found dead in the Sonoran Desert Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in Ajo, Ariz. were alerted early Wednesday morning to an activation of a Rescue Beacon near Sheep Peak. Officials said agents were advised by surviving migrants about the others missing and an air and ground search involving Ajo Station agents and air assets from the Yuma Air Branch was initiated.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Tres inmigrantes fueron encontrados muertos en el desierto de Arizona
The aircrew was able to find the body of a man and later that day after noon, agents found the bodies of the second and third migrants. Authorities said the bodies of the migrants were taken to the Pima County Medical Examiners. The Mexican Consulate has been notified of the incident.
“CBP’s message for anyone who is thinking of soliciting the services of smuggling organizations to enter the United States illegally along the Southern border is simple: don’t do it”, said Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre. “As is evidenced by this case, when migrants cross the border illegally, they put their lives in peril. The terrain along the border is extreme, the relentless summer heat is severe, and remote areas where smugglers bring migrants is unforgiving. Far too many people who made the decision to place their lives into the hands of the criminal organizations have died of dehydration, and heat stroke.”
The identities of the migrants or the cause of death were not initially released.
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