Summary of Incident: Border Patrol Agents unable to save an illegal alien in medical distress

This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.

On Sept. 9, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., Santa Teresa Station Border Patrol Agents apprehended three illegal aliens near mile marker 109 on New Mexico Highway 9.

At 3:43 p.m., during the apprehension, BPAs observed one of the individuals, later identified as a 29-year-old citizen of Mexico, was conscious however appeared to be suffering from heat exhaustion. A BPA advised via service radio that the individual was in medical distress and requested emergency medical services respond to their location. BPAs provided water to cool the male down and moved him by a USBP all-terrain vehicle to a marked USBP vehicle. BPAs transported the man to highway 9 near mile marker 137 to await the arrival of EMS.

At 4:30 p.m., American Medical Response personnel transported the man to the Hospitals of Providence, Transmountain Campus; while BPAs followed the AMR vehicle to the hospital. Hospital personnel admitted him to the Intensive Care Unit where he was diagnosed with heat stroke and severe dehydration. BPAs initiated hospital watch.

On Sept. 22, 2025, a hospital physician reported that the man’s condition had deteriorated. On Sept. 24, 2025, at 8:55 a.m., an on-duty physician pronounced the man deceased.

On Sept. 25, 2025, the El Paso County Medical Examiner Office in El Paso, TX., performed an autopsy on the decedent. The medical examiner will provide official findings and toxicology results upon completion of the report.

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the incident. OPR notified the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.