Immigration
Border Patrol agent reunited with baby he helped deliver at U.S.-Mexico border 6 years ago
Lott, a trainer Emergency Medical Technician, responded to the call to find a pregnant woman who was going into labor inside her vehicle at the border
November 1, 2022 8:08am
Updated: November 1, 2022 9:21am
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was reunited with a girl he helped deliver and rescue at the U.S.-Mexico border six years ago, the agency said in a press release last week.
On December 8, 2016, Officer J. Lott was conducting routine checks at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, one of the major border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico.
Typical of a busy day at the crossing between Tijuana and San Diego, there were thousands of cars with travelers and officers inspecting the vehicles. However, during that time Lott received a call about a woman who needed emergency help.
Lott, a trainer Emergency Medical Technician, responded to the call to find a pregnant woman who was going into labor inside her vehicle.
“I just trusted my training,” Lott said. “I knew if I remained calm, the mother, the father, and everyone around me would stay calm. Although deep down inside I did not want to fail them.”
To make matters worse, the baby was born breech, meaning that her feet came out first, making the tense situation that much more difficult.
Lott was able to deliver the baby only to realize that she was not breathing.
“She was really blue, she wasn’t breathing, and unresponsive,” Lott said. “I quickly administered chest compressions, and after about five or six, she started crying. I was already on my knees, and I just buckled. I remember saying to myself, just keep on breathing baby, just keep on breathing, please.”
Six years later, Lott got to meet Alexa Garcia, the baby he helped deliver at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” the agency said in the press release as the Lott and the family shared memories from the fateful day.
“I believe God put an angel in our hands that day, that angel saved my wife and baby’s life,” Alexa’s father said during the reunion.
"I am just happy that I was there to help," Lott said. "To be able to assist in something like that is absolutely amazing, and it’s a memory I will have for the rest of my life."
