The Border Patrol said one of its agents rescued an infant and a toddler left behind by immigrant smugglers at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in western Arizona. An immigrant in a group of border crossings apprehended Thursday west of Lukeville, Arizona, alerted an agent of the children’s locations.
An 18-month-old was then found crying and a 4-month-old was found face down and unresponsive. Both received medical care at the hospital and were released back into Border Patrol custody.
“Smugglers left two young children — an infant and a toddler — dead in the Sonoran Desert yesterday,” Tucson Border Patrol Captain John Modlin said in a statement. said in the statement. “This is not just another example of smugglers exploiting migrants. It’s brutal.”
It was not immediately clear whether the smugglers accused of abandoning the children were among those arrested. Authorities have not released any details about the children, including their gender, which country they came from and the identity of their parents or guardians.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument stretches along the Mexican border in southwest Arizona, a harsh, dry landscape filled with towering cacti and other desert plants. It is located about 130 miles southwest of Phoenix.
Due to its remote location, the 517-square-mile park is a popular transit area for some smugglers. The remains of suspected border crossers are frequently found in the area.
While high temperatures at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument often soar into triple digits during the summer, they peaked on Thursdays in the 90s thanks to cooler monsoon weather.
While waiting for Border Patrol and National Park Service medical technicians to arrive, the agents who found the children began administering first aid to the babies.
An ambulance took the children to hospital for additional medical care. The children were later returned to Border Patrol officers, who are trying to urgently place them in the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the care of immigrant children left alone in the United States.
The Tucson division of the Border Patrol said unaccompanied children smuggled across the border increased 12 percent over the past fiscal year.
Overall, however, numbers in the U.S. declined Legal and illegal border crossings During the past two months, according to fEderal data released two weeks ago.
During the epidemic, Title 42, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, has prevented many migrants from crossing legally at the border — forcing them to wait in Mexico while their cases are being processed. As a result, some people seeking to immigrate to the United States have taken other paths.
Historically, illegal border crossings have been dangerous for immigration. But in the past year, there have been several fatal incidents involving smugglers trying to bring people into the United States. 53 dead Left in a tractor trailer in the sweltering heat of Texas.more than two months ago Dozens of migrants injured in rollover crash in the same state.
Not only has the U.S. government faced harsh criticism after such incidents, but also because it dropped certain restrictions to allow both Afghanistan and Ukraine Refugees enter the country.
exist an interview Speaking with CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez earlier this month, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus said the Biden administration is working to create a “system for asylum seekers”. fair and just” system.
“Our goal is of course to be able to deal with all vulnerable groups in a fair and just manner,” Magnus said. “I think that’s something we’ll continue to work on. It can be very challenging, depending on the circumstances.”
Magnus admit Migrants deported to Mexico face “very difficult” conditions, but he said each country that reaches the southern U.S. border has “specific circumstances,” noting that Ukrainians are fleeing armed conflict in their homeland.
“We’re talking about different groups of people from different countries with different needs that need to be handled differently,” he said. “There are a lot of factors involved. What works for one group doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.”
