SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KTSM) — Summer is approaching with triple digits and the Sunland Park Fire Department is preparing to respond to search and rescues following the discovery of a woman’s body near McNutt Rd on Friday, May 19.
“We had four bodies recovered in about a seven to eight-month time period. All of them we suspect they’re migrants and, of course, we cannot confirm that. Office of the medical examiner and border patrol are able to confirm that, but we’re pretty sure and we suspect that all four were migrants,” said SPFD Chief Daniel Medrano.
Working alongside Customs and Border Patrol, Medrano says about 13 percent of calls are from migrants falling off the wall, causing major injuries like open bone fractures.
“As this migrant crisis started a couple of years ago, we’re going out to the desert by the border wall for a lot of falls with the same vehicle because it has all four capabilities but realizing that we weren’t able to transport a patient,” Medrano said.
The Sunland Park Fire Station is a three-mile range from the border wall. Medrano says search and rescues happen in the desert surrounding Sunland Park, Mount Cristo Rey, Santa Teresa, and the Rio Grande.
With 300 migrants rescues last year, Medrano tells KTSM they encounter people collapsing from malnourishment and dehydration, ranging from the ages of 20 to 40 years old, adding that it’s very rare when it’s teens and children who need to be found.
However, as they head out to the middle of nowhere with four-by-four vehicles, Medrano says it’s made a difference to prepare for any call to action.
“I took a little while a few months, but we were able to find a patient sled, to attach to this particular vehicle and start treating our patients the way they’re supposed to be treated,” Medrano said.
