San Diego Border Patrol Agents Rescue 2 Abandoned Children

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — Border Patrol agents this week rescued two children who had been abandoned along the border near Jacumba in southeastern San Diego County.

Agents spotted a man and woman walking just south of the border with two children around 3 p.m. Monday, according to the Border Patrol's San Diego-area office. The pair hoisted the children over boulders in an area where the border wall ends at the side of a mountain abutting the boulders.

Agents found the 6-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl alone and crying, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jeff Stephenson said.

The children were taken to a nearby Border Patrol station, where they gave agents a handwritten note that had their mother's name and phone number, Stephenson said. The siblings also had their mom's name and phone numbers written in marker on their forearms.

Agents contacted the mother for additional information regarding the children. The siblings will be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Stephenson said.

"It is unconscionable that anyone would abandon these small children and those responsible for smuggling events like this will be aggressively prosecuted," Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said. "Thankfully, our agents were able to quickly rescue these siblings."

To report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol, contact the San Diego Sector at 619-498-9900.

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