Two migrants suffering from life-threatening heat illness were pulled from the rugged mountains of San Diego's East County in separate rescues weeks apart, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed. Both were hospitalized for heat-related injuries and will face removal proceedings once medically cleared, officials said. The back-to-back incidents happened as temperatures in the area climbed to around 107 degrees, according to Border Patrol.
The first rescue unfolded on July 26, when a Border Patrol agent spotted someone walking near Cottonwood Canyon around 7 p.m., as reported by Fox 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Roughly 40 minutes after that surveillance sighting, agents encountered the person, who by then had little strength left to move on their own through the steep terrain. Emergency medical personnel helped agents carry the individual out of the canyon, and an ambulance transported the person to a hospital for treatment.
Border Patrol agents requested air support during the operation, underscoring how quickly a routine backcountry encounter can turn into a full rescue. The San Diego Sector's coverage area spans 60 miles of the international border directly adjacent to Tijuana, and the terrain shifts abruptly from urban fencing to steep granite mountains and unpaved wilderness corridors, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That geography leaves little room for standard ground ambulances once someone is stranded deep in a canyon.
A Second Rescue in the Jacumba Mountains
Less than a week later, on August 1, Boulevard Station agents were notified around 3 p.m. that a person was lost in the Jacumba Mountains. The same fox5sandiego.com report notes the individual had little to no water and was experiencing symptoms consistent with heat exhaustion, including disorientation and blurred vision. Agents determined the person was in poor physical condition and could not walk out of the canyon without assistance.
Boulevard Station agents coordinated with agents from the El Centro Sector to locate the person, according to the outlet's account. Once found, the individual was airlifted to the Jacumba interchange, and an ambulance took them to a local hospital for further evaluation. Local emergency services also responded to the heat-related illness call, the report states.
The Jacumba Wilderness covers 31,357 acres across East San Diego and Imperial counties, with floor elevations above 2,600 feet where summer temperatures routinely top 100 degrees. That combination of elevation, exposed granite boulder fields, and scarce shade accelerates dehydration for anyone caught without adequate water. Hoodline recently reported on efforts to revive the nearby town in a $13 million hotel bet, a project set against the same border backcountry where these rescues unfolded.
Officials Point to Cartel Exploitation and Deadly Heat
Border Patrol determined both rescued individuals were in the country illegally and said they will be processed for removal after receiving medical clearance. San Diego Sector officials said the conditions in both incidents created life-threatening circumstances, and officials warned that extreme heat, limited access to water, and remote terrain can quickly turn deadly.
“These rescues are a reminder of the extreme dangers posed by the rugged terrain and intense summer heat,” said Justin De La Torre, per the fox5sandiego.com report. Border Patrol also warned that criminal cartels who smuggle people do not care about the safety or lives of those they exploit. Boulevard Station agents keep heat-stress supplies, including water and ice, prepared for these situations, and agents provided basic medical aid to the person found near Cottonwood Canyon.
A Recurring Pattern Across San Diego's Backcountry
These two rescues are far from isolated events. In Fiscal Year 2024, San Diego Sector agents performed more than 2,200 search-and-rescue operations across the sector's 60-mile border span as apprehensions surpassed 324,000, according to figures from the sector cited by the Center for Immigration Studies. Even as overall border encounters have fallen sharply since then — apprehensions dropped to just 1,199 in March 2025, an average of 38 per day, a 186% decrease from the prior year — migrants attempting surreptitious crossings are increasingly pushing into remote, dangerous corridors like Cottonwood Canyon and the Jacumba Wilderness.
Environmental heat exposure remains the leading cause of migrant deaths along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, accounting for 365 official deaths along the Southwest border in Fiscal Year 2022, compared to 95 in Fiscal Year 2018, per CBP data. Last year, San Diego Sector agents rescued a 16-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, stranded and severely dehydrated in the nearby Otay Mountain Wilderness during a regional heat wave, according to CBS8.
Specialized Teams and How to Report an Emergency
All 42 members of the San Diego Sector's Border Search, Trauma, and Rescue unit, known as BORSTAR, are trained emergency medical responders, with specialized paramedics authorized under California EMS agreements to administer field medicine and IV fluids during backcountry extractions. When ground access fails entirely, CBP Air and Marine Operations maintains UH-60 Black Hawk crews with onboard emergency medical technicians at Naval Air Station North Island for aerial searches and hoist extractions in mountainous zones.
Border Patrol agents maintain a heightened presence along routes leading away from the border aimed at detecting human smuggling, drugs and other contraband. The agency urged anyone experiencing an emergency in the backcountry to call 911, and the San Diego Sector also operates a 24-hour line for reports of suspicious activity at 619-498-9900.
