"I want to go home to my mother!" cries teen migrant abandoned by smugglers in Texas desert

A Mexican teenager who crossed the southern border with cartel smugglers was found desperately crying in a deserted area of ​​Texas, where he was abandoned by the group he was traveling with.

The 18-year-old, who was identified only as Hector, was abandoned in a remote area where local authorities frequently recover bodies of migrants who perish during their arduous journey.

The story was originally reported NewsNation journalist Ali Bradley who was with the Terrell County Sheriff when he decided to search for Hector.

“I want to go home to my mother,” the teenager asked between cries.

I don’t care where you stand on the border crisis— This was hard.

Prayers for a solution. Nothing about this is humane.

Thank you @ThadForTexas for having a heart. https://t.co/oiWgy4cvoU pic.twitter.com/wXTMg4WLMd

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) March 19, 2024

Héctor claimed that the group of 10 people he was traveling with abandoned him when he could not keep up, forcing him to wander alone for two days until he found an empty mobile home.

The young man made a flag with a pillowcase and some ribbons to try to alert anyone of his presence in the area. Additionally, he found a game camera with which he was able to show himself and his Mexican passport, News Nation reported.

Héctor, who works as a mechanic, revealed that he left his home country because a drug cartel was trying to force him into recruitment.

“The drug traffickers threatened me and said I had to work for them in Tehuacán because they said I was in debt to them,” he explained. “So I focused on getting out of Tehuacán as soon as possible.”

The young man said he was hoping to contact his father who apparently works in Indianapolis and was hoping to meet him. He paid 50,000 Mexican pesos - equivalent to about $3,000 - to a coyote to help him cross the border. He was supposed to pay another 50,000 pesos when he arrived in Indianapolis, he told the Sheriff.

Hector told NewsNation that he did not cross a port of entry to seek asylum because he planned to return to Mexico and bring the rest of his family to the United States, because they are also under threat from a drug cartel.

The young man was later treated at a local hospital for a muscle deterioration condition due to the excessive exertion he had made during his pilgrimage, the outlet reported.

He was released from the hospital on Tuesday and sent back to Mexico.