19-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Dies After She Falls While Climbing Border Wall Near Texas
A pregnant woman from Guatemala who was attempting to enter the U.S. died this week after she fell while climbing the border wall, according to authorities.
Customs and Border Protection claimed in a press release on Wednesday that the 19-year-old woman, who was 8-months pregnant, died from her injuries at an El Paso, Texas hospital on Tuesday.
“Despite the best efforts of our Border Patrol agents and medical professionals, sadly more lives have perished at the hands of human smugglers,” El Paso Sector Chief Gloria Chavez said in the release.
El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents discovered the teen on Saturday around 7 p.m. local time, according to the CBP. A man who was with her told the agents that she “fell from the steel mesh border barrier” and landed on her back, CBP claims.
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“Agents immediately contacted Emergency Medical Services, which transported her to a local hospital where she underwent emergency medical intervention including an emergency C-section,” CBP wrote in the release.
Medical personnel were unable to save her unborn child.
The woman underwent multiple surgeries, but her injuries were too severe and she was pronounced dead on Tuesday at 2:39 p.m. local time, according to CBP.
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Chavez said CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility “has initiated a review” to find the person or people in Mexico who were involved in her efforts to cross the border.
“Someone in Mexico guided this 8-month pregnant woman from Guatemala to this section of the border and encouraged her and helped her climb the steel mesh border barrier,” Chavez said. “We will engage our law enforcement partners in Mexico to find those responsible for placing these lives in danger.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General and the Government of Guatemala has also been notified, according to the CBP.
