1 dead, 1 injured after falling from the US-Mexico border wall near San Luis

José Ignacio Castañeda Perez, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
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One Mexican man died and another was injured Saturday after falling from the 30-foot border wall near San Luis.

Remote video surveillance system operators first saw four people climbing the wall at 11:10 p.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Two minutes later, one person fell from the wall before a Border Patrol agent arrived and arrested a man north of the barrier.

Another agent soon arrived and found a Mexican man face down on the concrete beneath the wall, bleeding from his head. The man was unconscious but had a pulse.

The man would be declared dead about an hour later, per officials.

The number of emergency calls related to fence-related injuries has significantly increased for San Luis paramedics since the 30-foot border wall first went up under former President Donald Trump. The increased height of the border wall has made migrants more susceptible to injuries or death if they attempt to cross over it.

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Emergency medical services were dispatched to the area at 11:14 p.m. While officials rendered aid to the man, a second Mexican man then fell from the wall and sustained injuries to his back and abdomen but remained conscious.

The second man was in stable condition, per officials.

San Luis Fire Department EMS arrived and took over primary medical care for both men at 11:24 p.m. A third man was spotted stuck on top of the wall and was rescued by the fire department before being taken into Border Patrol custody.

The two injured men were taken to the Yuma Regional Medical Center at 11:43 p.m., and agents provided hospital watch.

One of the men was declared dead by medical center staff at 12:09 a.m. on June 23. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office coroner advised no autopsy would be conducted.

The incident was under review by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was also notified.

Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man dies after falling from the border wall near San Luis