U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued these two unaccompanied minors who were lost near Ocotillo, California on June 7. Photo: U.S. Border Patrol

Ocotillo, CA–U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector rescued two non-citizen unaccompanied children lost in the Jacumba Wilderness region near Ocotillo, early Monday morning.

The incident occurred at about 1:20 a.m., when the El Centro Border Patrol Station received a call from the San Diego Sector Foreign Operations Branch about two undocumented individuals in the mountains who were lost and tired. One of the individuals claimed to be a 17-year-old boy from El Salvador traveling with his 7-year-old niece. The El Centro Border Patrol Station notified agents working in the field and they responded to the area.

Agents, using the provided GPS coordinates, located the pair at about 2 a.m. Agents conducted welfare checks and determined that the minors did not need medical assistance. Agents took the two unaccompanied children into custody and transported them to the El Centro Sector Processing Center where they will be processed accordingly.

Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have rescued 142 individuals abandoned by smugglers, lost or in distress.