U.S., Mexico join in effort to prevent immigrant fatalities

In the El Paso sector, there are 137 emergency medical technicians and nine paramedics assigned to the Border Patrol

June 05, 2012 05:15 AM

By Aileen B. Flores
El Paso Times

EL PASO, Texas — Swift-moving water in border canals and inhospitable desert climates lead to the death of many undocumented immigrants every year.

In an effort to prevent fatalities, local and federal law enforcement officials, along with Mexico’s National Institute of Migration in Juárez met along the Rio Grande on Monday to launch the Border Safety Initiative campaign.

The initiative is aimed at reducing deaths and injuries to migrants who enter the United States illegally.

In 2011, six people died attempting to cross the border into the U.S. and another 20 were rescued by the U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue team, or BORSTAR.

“The extreme heat, unscrupulous smugglers, and treacherous water rushing through the Rio Grande or the canals have all played a part in taking the lives of immigrants over the years,” said Ronald LeBlanc, the assistant chief patrol agent of the El Paso sector.

For the past 14 years, the primary goals of the initiative have been to educate the public about the dangers and hazards of crossing the border illegally and to continue to improve the Border Patrol’s ability to respond to life-threatening situations, LeBlanc said.

In the El Paso sector, there are 137 emergency medical technicians and nine paramedics assigned to the Border Patrol. BORSTAR has 18 agents and Grupo BETA (the rescue team in Juárez) has 10 members.

The annual campaign reaches people not only in Mexico, but in Central America and the Caribbean, LeBlanc said.

Humberto Uranga, the delegate of the National Migration Institute in Juárez, said Grupo BETA assists more than 6,000 people every year. Many of them are Mexican citizens who have been deported from the United States, he said.

Grupo BETA has the same training as the rescue teams in El Paso, Uranga said.

On Monday, BORSTAR held a swift-water rescue demonstration, while, on the other side of the border, Mexican firefighters conducted a heat exhaustion rescue demonstration.

A public service announcement video was also released to highlight common dangers when crossing the border.

Rescue