WATCH: Toddlers dropped by human smugglers over border wall in Santa Teresa
SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — Dramatic video of two toddler sisters being dropped over the border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso was captured by surveillance cameras.
U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued the toddlers in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on Tuesday.
Border Patrol agents responded to a situation involving two girl toddlers mistreated and abandoned by human smugglers just west of Mt. Cristo Rey.
RECOMMENDED: Mt. Cristo Rey remains closed during COVID-19 pandemic
A Santa Teresa agent utilizing camera technology observed a smuggler dropping two young children from the top of the 14-foot-high border barrier. Immediately after both children landed on the ground, two smugglers immediately fled the area and abandoned the little girls on the north side of the international boundary line, according to Border Patrol.
The camera operator alerted Santa Teresa agents and directed them to the remote location of the incident.
Responding agents found the 3-year-old and 5-year-old Ecuadoran children and rendered aid to them.
The two toddlers are sisters and both were alert when agents made contact with them.
The minor children were taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for evaluation by medical personnel.
The two girls were medically cleared and currently remain in Border Patrol temporary holding pending placement by Health and Human Services.
I’m appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. If not for the vigilance of our agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours,” stated El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “We are currently working with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and attempting to identify these ruthless human smugglers so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509.
Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas released the following statement on the grave risk of children traveling with smugglers.
The inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents’ desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible. Just this month, a young girl died by drowning, a six-month-old was thrown into the river, and two young children were dropped from a wall and left in the desert alone. There can be no doubt that children are exceptionally vulnerable when placed in the hands of smugglers. There is grave risk they will be exploited and harmed. I applaud our heroic Border Patrol agents who have saved lives this week and every week, while putting their own lives at risk for the greater good of the country.
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