Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents responded to a report of a person in distress in a wash west of Douglas, and located an injured woman with her son February 1.
Agents assigned to the Brian A. Terry Station received a call from their partners at the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office reporting a female caller was injured and lost.
Agents searched the area and found a 33-year-old female Mexican national, with her teenaged son, injured and in the wash. Agents provided first aid and contacted the Bisbee Fire Department for emergency medical assistance. The woman was stabilized before being airlifted to a medical facility for advanced medical care.
The juvenile was not injured and was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents pending arrangements with Mexican authorities for the teen’s care and placement while waiting to be reunited with his mother.
After initial treatment in a Tucson hospital, the woman was transferred to a medical facility in Sonora, Mexico on Tuesday. The mother and son were processed for immigration violations after their safety was ensured, then released to the Mexican Consulate.
Border Patrol officials encourage anyone in distress to call 911, or activate a rescue beacon, before becoming a casualty. In the Tucson Sector’s harsh desert environment, Border Patrol security operations can quickly turn into humanitarian operations.