ARIZONA (KNX) — The U.S. Border Patrol reported that one of its agents rescued an infant and a toddler in western Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It is believed the children were left by migrant smugglers.
The agency shared that they were tipped off to the 18-month-old and 4-month-old's location by a migrant in a group of border crossers who were arrested on Thursday at an Arizona port of entry, CBS News reported.
After finding out their location, an agent found the children alone, with the older child crying and the younger face down and unresponsive.
The agent quickly called medical services from the Border Patrol and National Park Service while administering first aid to the unresponsive child.
The Border Patrol reported that both have since received medical attention at a local hospital before being released into the agency's custody.
John Modlin, the Border Patrol Chief for the Tucson Sector, shared the discovery of the abandoned kids in a statement, calling their abandonment grotesque.
"Yesterday smugglers left two young children — an infant and a toddler — in the Sonoran Desert to die," Modlin said. "This is not just another example of smugglers exploiting migrants for money. This is cruelty."
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, located some 130 miles southwest of Phoenix, stretches along the Mexican border. The 517-square-mile desert is dry, harsh, and covered in cactuses and other desert flora.
The park is often used as a smuggling area, but not all who take the journey make it, as human remains are frequently found in the area.
Unaccompanied children crossing the border with smugglers have seen a 12% increase over the past year, according to the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector.
As for the children who were found, it is not known if the smugglers that abandoned them were among those who were arrested, but an investigation into the incident has been launched.
Authorities have not shared any further information about the kids. However, the Border Patrol shared that they are working to place them with the Office of Refugee Resettlement — an agency overlooking the care of migrant children without families discovered by the U.S.
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