San Diego Border Patrol Reports Rise In Injured, Illegal Migrants

SAN DIEGO, CA — U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego County have found a growing number of injured Mexican nationals trying to enter illegally over the past two weeks as the weather heats up and a new federal law allows repatriation without criminal charges, an agent said Thursday.

Over the past two weeks, Border Patrol agents along with the county sheriff and other local authorities responded to five incidents totaling 16 Mexican adults in medical distress, agent Jacob Macisaac told Patch.

“A lot of it was a little bit higher stakes, so it was kind of a little more out of the ordinary,” MacIsaac said, comparing the past two weeks to normal caseloads.

The 16 people suffering from dehydration, and, in one case, a broken ankle, had crossed in the rugged area around Otay Mountain, Macisaac said. Warmer temperatures probably motivated more people than usual to attempt the journey — the mountains can get cold at night —but also caused their dehydration, he said.

A U.S. law called Title 42 reduces the legal risk of border crossings and prompts more people to cross the U.S.-Mexican border illegally, he added. The 18-month-old law lets U.S. authorities send undocumented migrants back to their home countries without criminal prosecution. All 16 people found hurt have returned to Mexico.

“This is a double-edged sword that keeps processing facilities empty as not to spread COVID, but they just try again,” Macisaac said.

Border crossers often start their trips from a high-elevation Mexican highway near the border between Tijuana and Mexicali, Macisaac said. Some segments of the border lack "infrastructure," he said, and in others migrants scale it or tunnel beneath it.

Smugglers who help Mexican nationals start their trips may end up abandoning the expedition, the Border Patrol said in a Wednesday news release. Most injuries occur when migrants fall from steep rocky terrain, the news release says. Some migrants do not realize how long it takes to cross the Otay Mountain area, Macisaac said.

“A lot of these folks are sort of misled about what the journey entails,” he said.

Border Patrol search, trauma and rescue teams expect to rely increasingly on beacons to find people who need medical relief, Macisaac said. Six beacons due to operate in San Diego County by year's end will allow injured people to press a button and await help. The county sheriff and Cal Fire are expected to help Border Patrol agents assist injured migrants, Macisaac said.