CBP finds 4-year-old migrant boy abandoned near New Mexico border wall 

U.S. Border Patrol agents found a 4-year-old Ecuadorian boy that had been abandoned in the New Mexico desert along the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday. 

El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez tweeted a photograph of the young boy that was found along the border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. 

According to Chavez, the 4-year-old had been abandoned by “ruthless smugglers.” However, the boy was found with his passport and his parent’s contact information. 

It is unclear when exactly the boy was found. 

#SantaTeresa #USBP #agents located a 4-year-old child, near the border, who was abandoned by ruthless smugglers. The tender-age Ecuadorian boy was in possession of his passport and parent’s contact information. Over 19,651 unaccompanied children have been encountered this FY22. pic.twitter.com/9h81o8kEPj

— Gloria I. Chavez (@USBPChiefEPT) September 6, 2022

Last week, Border Patrol agents in Arizona rescued an infant and a toddler who had been left behind in the desert by smugglers. An 18-month-old was found crying, while a 4-month-old was found unresponsive and in need of medical attention. 

"This is not just another example of smugglers exploiting migrants for money. This is cruelty," said Tucson Sector Border Patrol Chief John Modlin at the time. 

“The heartlessness of smugglers cannot be underestimated,” added Modlin.

So far in the Fiscal Year 2022, which started on October 1, CBP agents have encountered 128,845 unaccompanied minors along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the El Paso sector alone, agents have intercepted 19,651 unaccompanied children in this fiscal year. 

According to Tuscon’s Border Patrol, there has been a 12% increase in unaccompanied children being smuggled across the border compared to last year and a 234% increase over 2020.