CBP rescue beacon helps save two in south Texas

Rescue beacon

CBP agents helped save two people trying to traverse the south Texas scrubland after the couple sounded a rescue beacon near an internal border checkpoint.

The U.S. Border Patrol said agents assigned to its Kingsville Station, near Sarita, TX, saved the lives of two illegal aliens who activated a rescue beacon after becoming lost in the brush on Feb. 4.

Agents working at the Sarita Checkpoint responded to the beacon’s activation that morning and found a man from Mexico and a woman from Honduras, who said they had been left behind by their group two days earlier. They told the Border Patrol agent that they hadn’t eaten for two days and had only minimal water. They were transported to Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg for evaluation, said CBP.

The Border Patrol has six rescue beacons strategically placed on ranches throughout the area in order to increase the likelihood of survival for individuals who fall victim to the harsh terrain or adverse weather, said CBP. Once activated the beacons send out a distress signal that allows agents to locate the imperiled individual and provide first aid within minutes, it said. The Feb. 4 rescue marks the first for this beacon, which was deployed in December, it said.

“We are always looking for ways in which we can be innovative and ensure that lives are not unnecessarily lost,” Chief Patrol Agent Rosendo Hinojosa said. “By deploying these beacons throughout the area and through the hard work of our well-trained agents, we significantly increase our ability to save lives.”

According to CBP, many illegal aliens smuggled into the U.S. are unaware of the extreme elements, including harsh terrain and weather, they face as they cross the border. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector have rescued more than 80 illegal aliens, it said.