On Thursday, United States Customs and Border Patrol was alerted that there had been an 18-month-old child and a 4-month-old baby left in western Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Border Patrol was told of the abandoned children’s location after a group of migrants attempting to cross the border were arrested.
The toddler was found conscious and crying, while the 4-month-old baby was found lying face down and unresponsive. Patrol agents were able to revive her, and both children ended up receiving medical attention.
The children were placed back into Border Patrol’s custody. Their care will be addressed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to reports.
"Yesterday smugglers left two young children—an infant and a toddler—in the Sonoran Desert to die," said John Modlin, the Tucson Sector Border Patrol Chief. He added, "This is not just another example of smugglers exploiting migrants for money. This is cruelty."
It remains unclear whether or not the migrant smugglers who were arrested on Thursday were responsible for abandoning the two children.
The United States Border Patrol counted over 555 deaths of those attempting to cross the United States-Mexico border during the fiscal year of 2021.
“But this happens all the time, it’s recurring, bodies frequently are found along the Rio Grande, in the deserts, migrants die due to heat stroke, in the mountains, it’s common for migrants to die after being bitten by rattlesnakes,” said José Luis Pérez Canchola, head of Mexico’s Human Rights Academy.
On Monday, a five-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy were found dead, while a baby was discovered in critical condition after attempting to cross the Rio Grande in order to enter the United States. The children were pulled into the river’s undercurrent and died as a result.