An elite Border Patrol Unit known as BORSTAR has entered its "operations seasons" in the Arizona desert heat, saving the lives of migrants in distress as they attempt to enter the United States illegally, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"Regardless of your immigration status, life is the priority," agent Jason Pope told the Journal as he treated a migrant who had called 911 after being separated from a group during a 10-day, 70-mile trek through the desert. "The other stuff can wait."
The BORSTAR elite units save the lives of migrant crossers and release them to other agents. Generally, those treated a apprehended do not protest, according to the report.
BORSTAR agents, about 200 of them, get advance EMT training that takes about six months, per the Journal, and are responding daily during the busy summer months.
Agents worry the summer months' heat will lead to more deaths, especially as more children are being used to cross the border in migrant asylum efforts, according to the report.
"I'm a father myself and when it's a kid, it's just . . ." Pope told the Journal before stopping himself.
Since 1998 more than 7,500 people have died crossing the Mexican border, according to U.S. government data.
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