Summary of Incident: Man from Mexico dies from pneumonia and heart disease after crossing the border near Lukeville, Ariz.

This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths. 

 On December 28, 2024, at approximately 10:16 p.m., two U.S. Army soldiers operating a mobile surveillance system with an infrared camera observed a group of suspected illegal aliens enter the United States by circumventing the Border Barrier approximately 9.8 miles west of the Lukeville Port of Entry (POE) in Lukeville, AZ. The soldiers reported to nearby Border Patrol agents (BPAs) that the group was moving away from the barrier. 

 At approximately 10:38 p.m., the soldiers observed one of the individuals walking with the group collapsing to the ground and immediately notified the BPAs. The individual was later identified as a male citizen of Ecuador. 

 As the soldiers continued monitoring the group, they observed other individuals from the group assist the man to his feet and the group traveled approximately 3.6 miles east toward the Lukeville POE. 

 At approximately 11:10 p.m., two responding BPAs assigned to the Ajo Station encountered the group and at approximately 11:12 p.m., notified the Ajo station Tactical Operations Center (TOC) that the man was responsive and answering questions. The man complained of fatigue and weakness in his legs and told the BPAs he had not eaten in ten days. At approximately 11:14 p.m., the BPAs transported the man, by transport van, approximately 6.2 miles to the Lukeville POE. At 11:16 p.m., a BPA advised the TOC that an emergency medical services (EMS) response was not necessary. A responding BPA EMT advised the BPA he was in route to the POE to medically assess the man. 

 At approximately 11:35 p.m., a BPA emergency medical technician (EMT) arrived at the Lukeville POE and provided medical aid to the man. At 11:44 p.m., the BPA EMT reported to the TOC that the man appeared dehydrated. The BPA EMT checked the man’s blood pressure and made four attempts to administer intravenous fluids but was unsuccessful. 

 At approximately 11:57 p.m., the BPA requested an ambulance and reported that the man was going in and out of consciousness. The TOC called the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which dispatched an ambulance to the Lukeville POE. 

 On December 29, 2024, at approximately 12:08 a.m., the BPA EMT placed the man in the recovery position and performed a sternum rub, but he was unresponsive. At approximately 12:26 a.m., the BPA EMT reported that the man’s condition was deteriorating. 

 At approximately 12:36 a.m., Ajo Ambulance personnel arrived at the Lukeville POE and assumed primary medical care of the man. 

 At approximately 12:50 a.m., Ajo Ambulance personnel began transporting the man from the Lukeville POE to the Ajo station to rendezvous with an air ambulance. During transport at approximately 1:36 a.m., the man’s pulse was no longer detected, and medical personnel stopped the ambulance at mile marker 74.5 on State Route 85 to provide care. At approximately 1:59 a.m., a Life Flight Air Ambulance helicopter landed at the station before departing to land at a location closer to the man. 

 At approximately 2:04 a.m., before the arrival of the Life Flight Air Ambulance helicopter at the ambulance’s location, a physician remotely declared the man deceased. Ajo Ambulance personnel transported the man’s remains to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Ajo, AZ. 

 On December 30, 2024, the medical examiner performed an autopsy and listed the cause of death as mixed viral pneumonia with focal myocarditis and the manner of death was natural. 

 CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing this incident. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was notified.