LUKEVILLE, Ariz. — A toddler and an infant are alive after they were found abandoned in the southern Arizona desert.
On Thursday, a border patrol agent out of Ajo was notified by a group of migrants that were arrested that two young children were traveling "alone" west of their location, west of the Lukeville Port of Entry on the Organ Pipe National Monument.
The agent went to that location and found a four-month-old face down and unresponsive and an 18-month-old crying nearby.
The agent started first aid on the children and immediately called for help from Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).
During the agent's efforts, he was able to revive the four-month-old.
When EMTs, the Border Patrol and the National Park Service arrived at the desert location they took the children to a waiting ambulance and were then taken to the Abrazo West Campus hospital in Goodyear. They were eventually discharged back to Border Patrol custody.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement has been notified, and expedited placement has been requested, officials announced.
No other details have been released.
The Tucson Border Patrol Sector has seen a 12% increase in unaccompanied children being smuggled across the border over fiscal year 2021 and a 234% increase over fiscal year 2020, according to information from the U.S. Border Patrol Arizona.