EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The smuggler emerges from the water and walks onto a small road between two massive border barriers.
The smuggler makes his way to the middle of the road and drops off a young child before running back into Mexico.
The child, a 1-year-old boy from Guatemala, is abandoned and left to fend for himself.
The child can be seen getting up and walking around. Moments later, a Border Patrol agent is seen rushing to his aid, quickly putting him in the back of his unit.
"Tragedy was averted!" tweeted U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz.
The incident was captured on surveillance cameras along the Colorado River, which meanders its way north to south along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Ortiz shared the video on Twitter on Thursday, saying, "A one-year-old Guatemalan child was abandoned along the Colorado River Monday afternoon by a smuggler who took him across the border and then left him to fend for himself along the water’s edge. Thanks to our agent’s quick response. ..."
Below the video, Ortiz posted a picture of a border agent holding the boy with the caption: "Picture of child safe with an Agent."
The video has been retweeted over 500 times and has hundreds of likes.
Many commenters expressed shock and praise for the agent, including one Twitter user who said, "I'm a father of 2 young boys. Watching this has me in tears. Your agent deserves the highest of praises for his quick action. God bless you all."
So far this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, Border Patrol agents have encountered 58,003 unaccompanied minors. Agents in the Yuma and El Centro sectors have encountered 2,980 unaccompanied minors combined this fiscal year.
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