Illegal Migrant Dies from Border Wall Fall in the Desert

SAN LUIS, AZ – Three migrants attempted to climb a border barrier wall in the Arizona desert and illegally enter the United States in late June.  Two of the men fell from the wall and one died from his injuries.  

According to the Border Patrol, on June 22, 2023, at approximately 11:10 p.m., remote video surveillance system operators observed four individuals climbing the secondary International Boundary Fence near San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Border Patrol agents were dispatched to the area. The remote video surveillance operator advised one of the individuals had fallen from the fence two minutes later, and an agent then arrived and arrested one adult male subject north of the secondary fence.

Another agent arrived at the area and encountered an adult male, later identified as a citizen of Mexico, lying face down, bleeding from his head, on the concrete beneath the International Boundary Fence. The agent noted the man was unconscious but had a pulse and requested emergency medical services be dispatched to the scene at approximately 11:14 p.m. While rendering aid to the man, a second adult male, later identified as a citizen of Mexico, fell from the boundary fence and sustained injuries to his back and abdomen but remained conscious; that man is currently in stable condition.

San Luis Fire Department EMS arrived on scene and took over primary medical care of both men at approximately 11:24 p.m. A third man was observed stuck on top of the boundary fence and was rescued by the fire department and taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody. 

EMS transported the two injured men to Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Ariz. at approximately 11:43 p.m. and agents provided hospital watch. 

One of the men succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased by medical center staff at approximately 12:09 a.m. on June 23. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office Coroner advised no autopsy would be conducted. 

This incident is under review by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility.  The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was also notified.