One moment, a family fresh off a flight from Germany was inching through the primary inspection line at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The next, their toddler had turned blue, started seizing and began choking in front of stunned travelers and officers.
Customs and Border Protection personnel moved fast. Officers rushed the child from the international arrivals area to a secondary inspection room, cleared his airway and kept a close eye on him until emergency medical crews arrived. The kind of quiet, behind-the-scenes checkpoint routine suddenly turned into a life-or-death emergency, and CBP officers were the first line of medical response.
Officers Cleared Airway With Heimlich And Back Blows
According to Daily Voice Elkton, a supervisory CBP officer and a CBP agriculture specialist jumped in together, performing a Heimlich maneuver along with five back blows that finally dislodged the obstruction and cleared the toddler's airway.
Once the child could breathe again, officers monitored his breathing and heart rate until EMS arrived at the scene. The toddler and his mother were then transported to a Baltimore hospital, where the child was reported in stable condition.
"We are pleased that this child and his parents will get to soon celebrate his second birthday," Baltimore Area Port Director Adam Rottman said, summing up the relief that rippled through the airport once the immediate danger had passed.
CBP Training And Past Responses At BWI
CBP says its frontline employees regularly train in CPR, automated external defibrillator use and other immediate life-saving measures, and agency officials note that many personnel are parents themselves, which can make emergencies involving young children feel especially personal.
This was not the first time BWI officers have been pressed into medical duty. In 2021, CBP personnel at the airport administered CPR to an unresponsive infant before BWI Fire Rescue arrived, as reported by WMAR2News.
The agency has also highlighted the work of Baltimore Field Office agriculture specialists and officers in local media releases about training and interdictions, underscoring a routine culture of preparedness at this busy port of entry.
What To Do If A Child Chokes
Medical guidance stresses that when a child starts choking, every second counts and the response has to be specific to the child's age. For toddlers, standard advice is to alternate five firm back blows with five abdominal thrusts until the airway clears, according to MedlinePlus.
For infants under 1 year, the technique changes. Caregivers are instructed to alternate five back blows with five chest thrusts and to begin CPR if the baby becomes unresponsive, as outlined by the American Heart Association. The organization also recommends certified CPR and first-aid training for parents and other caregivers so they are ready when an ambulance is still minutes away.
In this case, the toddler was described as stable after transport to a Baltimore hospital, and CBP officials said the quick intervention gave the family time to look forward to the child's second birthday, per Daily Voice Elkton. It was an abrupt reminder that training, fast thinking and smooth coordination between federal officers and local EMS can turn a terrifying few minutes into a story with a far better ending.
