SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — Five migrants including one minor were found alive after they were abandoned by their "guide” in a mountainous area near the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to a release from the Mexican government, the group was found last week in an area called “La Rumorosa,” located between Tijuana and Mexicali. They were found by a rescue team after one of them contacted Mexican authorities over the phone. The migrants shared they had run out of water and food.
“It’s not uncommon that people try to cross that area. It’s very dangerous and very deadly,” said Benjamin Prado, a US/Mexico Border Program Coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee.
“It’s very dry. It’s very mountainous, very steep. It’’s extremely hot, especially during the summer months,” he added.
Prado says as border policies have tightened, they’ve seen a spike in migrants trying to cross with the help of these so-called paid “guides.”
“Putting up bigger fences and more surveillance along the border and personnel…it creates an unfortunate economy of human smuggling,” he said.
Per the Mexican government, a rescue team found the group after a 15 hour-long operation. The migrants are from Colombia and Peru and among them was a four-year-old child who had signs of dehydration. The migrants were transferred to a shelter in Tijuana.
“The recommendation is…these hired guides are not clearly the way to cross. It’s important that they look for networks of migrants shelters and people who can provide them with information,” said Prado.
