Border Patrol rescues climb amid brutal heatwave walloping the Southwest

Border Patrol rescues in the Tucson Sector have climbed this month as a brutal heatwave has compounded the dangers of illegal border crossings, officials said Tuesday. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tucson Sector agents responded to at least 151 calls for help between July 1 and July 20, rescuing more than 1,100 border crossers. 

Not all illegal border crossers were rescued in time as agents have encountered human remains, CBP said. 

Though apprehensions in the southwest border have dropped overall, this trend has not been reflected in the Tucson Sector. 

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“Apprehensions continue to rise in our area,” Joel D. Garcia, Patrol Agent in Charge of the Ajo Station. “That means more migrants risking their lives and more needing rescue. Arizona’s west desert is the most dangerous place to cross the southwest border, and this intense heat only increases the chances for tragedy.” 

Border Patrol in the Southwest border sectors encounter the remains of numerous illegal border crossers who die from “heat-related injuries,” CBP said. 

The uptick in rescues comes amid a global heatwave that is particularly brutal in the Southwest. By the middle of July, more than a third of Americans were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.