Tucson Standard

Three Mexican citizens, including a teenage girl, died while attempting to enter the United States, according to a June 28 post on X from John R. Modlin, chief patrol agent for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Tucson sector.

In his post on X, Modlin included a link to a news release from the CBP with more information on the deaths. On the morning of June 26, agents in Ajo, Arizona responded to a rescue beacon activation in the Sheep Peak area. According to surviving migrants, others had been left behind. Agents initiated air and ground searches with Ajo Station agents and the Yuma Air Branch. The air crew located the body of a male migrant, and just after 12 p.m. on the same day, agents found the bodies of the second and third migrants. Their bodies were transported to Pima County Medical Examiner for examination, and the Mexican Consulate has been notified.

"CBP’s message for anyone who is thinking of soliciting the services of smuggling organizations to enter the United States illegally along the Southern border is simple: don’t do it," said Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre in the June 28 news release. "As is evidenced by this case, when migrants cross the border illegally, they put their lives in peril. The terrain along the border is extreme, the relentless summer heat is severe, and remote areas where smugglers bring migrants are unforgiving. Far too many people who made the decision to place their lives into the hands of criminal organizations have died of dehydration and heat stroke."

Screenshot of John R. Modlin's June 28 post on X | X

The Tucson sector runs from the New Mexico state line to Yuma County's border, covering a total of 262 border miles, according to CBP’s webpage focused on this sector. Originally established as the Nogales Sector, it was on July 1, 1926 that headquarters moved to Tucson. There are nine stations within this sector: Tucson, Why, Casa Grande, Nogales, Willcox, Sonoita, Bisbee, Douglas, and Three Points.

U.S. Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security responsible for safeguarding national borders and preventing illegal entry of people and contraband. Established in 1924, it operates at 328 ports of entry and protects 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.