U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued two injured women, including one who was pregnant, stranded in the Otay Mountain Wilderness during a cold front, the agency announced on April 1.
The rescue began shortly after midnight on March 28 when agents from the Chula Vista Station responded to a distress call relayed by Mexican authorities. The two women, both Mexican nationals who had crossed the border illegally, were found in a remote canyon about six miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Both reported ankle injuries and neither had food or water.
Due to poor weather, including dense fog and low cloud cover, emergency medical services could not immediately extract the women. Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma, and Rescue Team remained with the injured pair overnight and built a makeshift shelter to shield them from near-freezing temperatures.
Once weather conditions improved in the morning, a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department helicopter airlifted the women to safety. They were taken to a nearby fire station for medical evaluation before being transported to a Border Patrol facility for processing and removal from the country.
“The border region can be treacherous, with extreme weather and rugged terrain posing serious dangers. Entering illegally not only breaks the law but also puts lives at risk,” Stalnaker said.
The Otay Mountain Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in San Diego County, about 12 miles east of the community of Otay Mesa and just north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The terrain is rugged and steep, rising rapidly from sea level to more than 3,500 feet at the summit of Otay Mountain.
Border officials emphasized the ongoing dangers of illegal border crossings, particularly in mountainous or desert terrain, where migrants face threats such as injury, dehydration, and hypothermia.
