3 Mexican migrants found dead in southern Arizona desert
Jun 28, 2024, 12:36 PM
U.S. Customs and Border Protection urged migrants not to trust smuggling organizations in a June 28, 2024, announcement. (File photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
(File photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Three Mexican migrants died from the summer heat in the Sonoran Desert, according to a Friday announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Border Patrol agents from Ajo, an unincorporated community in Pima County, found the bodies after hearing a rescue beacon activation in Sheep Peak on Wednesday, CBP said in a news release.
Authorities launched an “exhaustive air and ground search” with help from surviving migrants, CBP said.
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An aircrew eventually found the three bodies, which were brought to the Pima County Medical Examiners. Authorities notified the Mexican Consulate.
After three Mexican migrants found, CBP urges travelers to avoid smugglers
Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre urged migrants to stay away from human smugglers.
“When migrants cross the border illegally, they put their lives in peril,” De La Torre said in the news release.
He urged people to not trust organized smuggling groups that promise to illegally bring them across the U.S.-Mexico border.
CBP’s announcement said smuggling organizations often abandon migrants in remote and dangerous areas like Sheep’s Peak.
“The terrain along the border is extreme, the relentless summer heat is severe and remote areas where smugglers bring migrants is unforgiving,” De La Torre said. “Far too many people who made the decision to place their lives into the hands of the criminal organizations have died of dehydration and heat stroke.”
