Border Patrol rescues 3 immigrants who were abandoned on a mountain in Whatcom County
Three immigrants who entered the U.S. without proper documentation were rescued from the mountains near Sumas after they were abandoned by a human smuggler on Friday, Sept. 1, authorities said.
This incident occurred a day after 29 immigrants were arrested after entering the U.S. on a freight train from Canada.
In the first incident, Blaine Sector Border Patrol agents from the Sumas station received a distress call from a woman who told them the three individuals were lost in the mountains. Agents were able to determine the group’s location based on the GPS coordinates and photos sent from the woman’s phone, according to a news release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Due to the “sheer face” of the mountains, a technical rope rescue was conducted by the Blaine Sector Special Operations Detachment at around 7:30 a.m. that morning.
The three were determined to be immigrants from Mexico who entered the country illegally, and were medically cleared after the rescue.
The Blaine sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol also responded to the apprehension of 29 people here illegally from Mexico. this event. There is no evidence to show the two events were related, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol public affairs officer Jason Givens.
No other details on the arrest of the 29 immigrants were immediately available.
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 4:24 PM.
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