U.S. Customs and Border Protection

EL PASO, Texas — An Air and Marine Operations (AMO) AS350 helicopter crew and U.S. Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents rescued a hiker in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas on Sunday after receiving a 911 call.

On January 12, a CBP Air and Marine Operations AS350 helicopter crew from the Alpine, Texas air detachment worked with a U.S. Border Patrol BORSTAR team from El Paso on a search and rescue for a lost hiker in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The AMO Alpine Air Unit AS350 crew was able to locate the lost hiker at approximately 9:30 a.m. A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter and U.S. Park Rangers were also helping in the search for the hiker.

Due to extreme winter weather conditions, the AS350 crew dropped off an AMO agent in an area below where the hiker was found to hike up to the missing hiker’s location and conduct an initial assessment.

BORSTAR agents hiked two hours on the mountain to get to the rescue location and provided advanced medical care for the patient who was experiencing hypothermia symptoms. This included changing his wet clothes for dry clothing. Agents also provided food and water and started a fire to warm him until he could be transported further down the mountain via the AMO AS350 aircraft. An initial helicopter evacuation was delayed due to poor weather and visibility. The patient was then transported by EMS to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

“The conditions were extremely cold with temperatures in upper 20’s Fahrenheit. The snowfall was significant and our BORSTAR agents made a significant physical effort to help rescue the hiker,” said Ricardo Cardiel, Acting Special Operations Supervisor, Special Operations Detachment, El Paso Sector. “BORSTAR agents are trained to conduct field trauma medicine in extreme conditions. This is the type of rescue our agents are trained to conduct.”

U.S. Border Patrol Agents on the ground and Air and Marine Operations crews cooperate daily as they conduct their border security and humanitarian rescue missions.

“I am very proud of our AMO crew and the U.S. Border Patrol BORSTAR team for their efforts in this rescue during very challenging winter conditions. Our agents training, preparation and conditioning really made a difference during this rescue, said Efren Gonzalez, El Paso AMO Air Branch Director.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity or potential smuggling operations to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509 or through our WhatsApp (915) 314-8194.