Yuma, Arizona - A Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent working along the Colorado River near County 9th Street rescued a Honduran national struggling to stay afloat after he illegally entered the United States Saturday.
At approximately 9:25 a.m., a Yuma Station agent encountered a 26-year-old Honduran national struggling to stay afloat in the Salinity Canal near County 9th Street following his illegal entry into the United States. The agent deployed a rescue bag and pulled the man out of the water to safety. The subject immediately collapsed from exhaustion. Agents notified Emergency Medical Services after he began spitting up water. He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center for further care.
The subject was cleared from the hospital the next day and processed for immigration violations.
Illegal aliens routinely attempt to further illegal entry into the United States using the Salinity Canal; oftentimes, not understanding the associated dangers, water temperature, depth, water current, and growth on the canal walls hindering exit. Yuma Sector Marine Operations agents are trained in a variety of water rescue techniques, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, and Basic Lifesaving Skills to rescue individuals who choose to evade apprehension via canals and rivers risking their lives, and the lives of agents, in doing so.