Border agents rescued a Mexican citizen who was trapped on the California border wall while trying to enter the United States illegally, officials said on Wednesday.
Officers patrolling Imperial Beach found the 25-year-old man hanging from a part of the wall that juts out into the Pacific Ocean at about 8:15 pm on Tuesday, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement. .
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The migrant tried to reduce the American side of the barrier and was trapped above the waterline, the agency said. Mexican authorities evicted the man, while CPB agents made him safe.
The 25-year-old Mexican was seen hanging from a part of the wall that jutted out into the Pacific Ocean, the agency said.
(Protection of United States Customs and Borders)
He was taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia and knee pain, according to authorities.
Although the agency did not immediately report whether the man was left behind by a human smuggler, it warned of the dangers posed by these traffickers.
“May this serve as a serious reminder,” Chief Patrolman Aaron Heitke said in a statement. “The smuggler’s only motive is profit. When things get tough, they will leave you hanging, literally and figuratively. Our agents will always preserve lives, whenever possible.”
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The Trump administration announced earlier this month that 70,000 migrants were arrested on the southwest border in November, a 64% increase from 2019.
CBP acting commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters at the time that the increase, which averaged 2,300 meetings a day in November, was made up mostly of single adult men in Mexico.
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Morgan added that there have been an increasing number of unaccompanied families and children (UACs) in the Northern Triangle countries in recent months.
Adam Shaw of Fox News contributed to this report.