Edinburg, Texas - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector saved the lives of a man, a women and a 3 year old who were abandoned by their smugglers in two separate incidents in the last 24 hours.

The first rescue occurred in Brooks County at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The Brooks County Sheriff’s Office advised Falfurrias checkpoint agents of a 911 call concerning a man lost in a ranch.  The caller stated that he had been abandoned Monday and was having a hard time walking.  Agents responded and requested assistance from a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter.  The agents located the man and offered him medical attention.

The second rescue occurred just after 1 a.m. Thursday, when agents assigned to the Weslaco Station were called to locate a lost Honduran woman and her son. The pair had been abandoned by a smuggler in a field and became disoriented at which time the women called 911.  Agents requested an air support and an AMO pilot was able to locate the distressed immigrants and guide agents to them. The woman and her son were rescued and offered medical attention.  

“These heartless smugglers left a woman and child helpless and lost” said Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. “this reinforces the message from our Border Safety Initiative, “smugglers view little regard for the safety of migrants.”

The Rio Grande Valley Sector encourages citizens to report suspicious activity by calling the sector’s toll-free telephone number at 800-863-9382.