A Mexican woman has died in Arizona this week after getting trapped in a harness and hanging upside down while attempting to climb the international border wall.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s office said in a statement on social media that they were notified of the incident at the border fence off of International Road and Kings Highway near Douglas on Monday at approximately 11:00 p.m.
“Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the incident and were advised that a call came from Mexican authorities of a female who was ensnared on the border fence at the above location and U.S. Border Patrol agents responded,” officials said.
The 32-year-old woman was not identified.
Officials said the woman reportedly climbed onto the top of the international border wall but became entangled in a climbing harness while attempting to maneuver down on the U.S. side of the wall.
She was trapped upside down for a “significant amount of time,” the Cochise County Sheriff’s office said, adding that the woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
The sheriff’s office said it was in contact with the Mexican consulate and Mexican authorities and continues to investigate what happened. An autopsy will also be completed to determine the exact cause of death.
“These types of incidents are not political, they are humanitarian realities that someone has lost a loved one in a senseless tragedy,” Sheriff Mark Dannels said.
“We have to do better in finding solutions to the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons. Regardless of opinions, it is the facts that should direct our progress and we will keep working towards a shared goal of border safety and security.”
In a separate incident earlier this month, a 31-year-old man died from injuries he sustained when he attempted to climb the border barrier west of the Paso Del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas.
That decision was in response to the Biden administration’s decision to end expulsions under the Trump-era Title 42 policy, which had allowed Border Patrol agents to turn most illegal aliens back to Mexico immediately if they posed a health threat amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abbott in a statement accused the Biden administration of turning a “blind eye” to the border crisis, noting that “by busing migrants to Washington, D.C., the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the people they are allowing to cross our border. Texas should not have to bear the burden of the Biden Administration’s failure to secure our border.”
