SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — On Monday morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered an unaccompanied 5-year-old child wandering along the border wall between San Diego and Tijuana.
A surveillance video released by U.S. Customs and Border protection shows the girl running at the base of a secondary wall less than a quarter-mile from the international boundary on an embankment above the Tijuana River.
This area is known for assaults and as a haven for drug activity.
Agents quickly responded and removed her from the dangerous area and transported the girl to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing and for a medial evaluation. She was found to be healthy.
While talking to her, agents determined that the young girl was from Guatemala.
“The investigation is still going, but from what we know is that she has parents in the United States, but unfortunately she does not have contact information,” said Border Patrol Agent Juan Torres. “We’re working with the Mexican Consulate and the Guatemalan Consulate to try and make contact with her family.”
According to Torres, the 5-year-old was first spotted with another girl and an adult male, suspected of being the smuggler.
But the other girl, a 7-year-old cousin, turned back and returned to Mexico along with the unknown male.
“They’re so young that they don’t know what’s going on, they’re pushed by unknown people, unknown criminal organization, pushed forward into a border area that’s already dangerous as it is,” said Torres.
