On June 15, 2025, Department of Defense personnel monitoring the El Paso Station area reported seeing three individuals cross into the United States illegally, about 3.13 miles east of the Bridge of Americas Port of Entry. The suspects were observed scaling the International Border Fence and entering the American Canal, which contained some water at the time.
Border Patrol Agents in the vicinity noticed two people in the canal at 6:06 p.m. and requested assistance from the El Paso Fire Department for a water rescue. By 6:10 p.m., agents and DOD personnel had removed two individuals from the canal. Efforts continued to locate a third person, later identified as a 41-year-old citizen of Guatemala.
At approximately 6:11 p.m., an agent found a man floating face down in the canal roughly two-tenths of a mile southeast from where the other two had been rescued. The agent entered the water, pulled him partially onto the embankment, found him unresponsive, and began CPR.
Fire department staff arrived on scene at 6:16 p.m., assisted with removing the individual from the canal, and took over resuscitation efforts. The man was transported by ambulance to University Medical Center and pronounced dead by hospital staff at 6:59 p.m.
An autopsy was performed on July 15, 2025, by the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office. Results will be provided to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR) when available.
CBP OPR is currently reviewing this incident and has notified 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. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust."
