U.S. Border Patrol Agents rescued two migrants who were trapped in a canal in Texas, while agents in New Mexico carried an injured juvenile one mile down a mountain on their backs, officials said Tuesday.
One recent rescue happened when four agents from the Lordsburg Station in New Mexico found an injured juvenile in the Animas Mountains and alternated "fireman carrying" him one mile down the mountain, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said Tuesday.
"Not all heroes wear capes," Ortiz tweeted, along with a photo of one agent with the juvenile slung over his shoulders.
Another rescue occurred Friday in the El Paso Sector of Texas, where two migrants nearly drowned inside the American Canal near the Ysleta Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
CALIFORNIA BORDER AGENTS RESCUE 11 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LOST IN MOUNTAINS
An off-duty El Paso Station Border Patrol agent called agents at the Ysleta station after spotting two individuals, later determined to be from Ecuador and Brazil, scaling down the border barrier by Midway Drive and Cesar E. Chavez Highway/Loop 375, CBP said.
Agents searched the area and saw the migrants jump into the water canal and try to stay afloat as the current swept them downstream.
One agent supported himself on a canal ladder rung before tossing the migrants a rope flotation device to safely reel them in about one and a half miles from where they jumped in, the agency said. Both migrants were medically treated and taken to an El Paso processing center.
"Had it not been for the life-saving efforts of our Border Patrol Agents, these individuals could have easily drowned." said El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has repeatedly claimed the border is "closed," "secure" and under "operational control" despite the growing number of migrants overwhelming the border.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas again dismissed claims about the border not being secure while speaking at the Aspen Security Forum last week.
However, law enforcement working at the border and those who live in border communities have since pushed back against Mayorkas’ claims.
