On August 4, 2024, a tragic incident occurred involving a Guatemalan migrant who died at a Border Patrol station after being transported from the field. The event took place near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, where Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) encountered the 21-year-old man who claimed to have crossed into the United States from Mexico three days prior.
The BPAs noticed that the man appeared weak and immediately requested emergency medical services (EMS). To provide relief from the heat, they escorted him to an air-conditioned Border Patrol transport bus and offered him water. Despite these efforts, his condition did not improve. The agents decided to move him to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for further cooling methods.
While assisting him off the bus, he became unresponsive. The BPAs found he was not breathing and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A delay in EMS response was reported due to location issues. After approximately three minutes of CPR, they transported him in a Border Patrol van equipped with emergency lights and sirens toward the station.
Upon arrival at approximately 12:50 p.m., CBP contract medical personnel were ready with an automated external defibrillator (AED), continuing CPR as advised by the device. At around 1:00 p.m., Santa Teresa Fire Department arrived and took over primary medical care while awaiting additional assistance from Sunland Park Fire Department.
By approximately 1:15 p.m., responders reported that the man had regained a pulse and transported him to Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus in El Paso, Texas. However, at about 1:55 p.m., doctors pronounced him deceased.
An autopsy conducted by the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that environmental heat exposure caused his death, which was classified as accidental. The CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing this incident with notification made to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency," stated CBP representatives.
