A Guatemalan migrant woman who was trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border was impaled on a piece of rebar while she was trying to climb over a portion of fencing, according to reports.
The woman, a 26-year-old mother of two, tried to enter the United States near the San Ysidro Port of Entry on the night of Nov. 23, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
She attempted to climb a portion of the fence that was undergoing construction to replace the old fencing. The unnamed woman then fell onto a piece of rebar.
At 8:25 p.m. local time, officials responded to the scene, and the woman was rushed to a nearby hospital. The report said Border Patrol and San Diego-Fire Rescue Department officials responded to provide emergency services to the woman, whose injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
The Union-Tribune report said the rebar piece pierced her side and buttocks.
Border Patrol Agent Tekae Michael told the Union-Tribune that she had children with her, ages 3 and 5. They were evaluated and turned over to Border Patrol officials.
Michael said she wasn’t part of the migrant caravan that is approaching the U.S. border.
“Entering our country illegally, particularly over our walls, is not only dangerous, but also very foolish,” San Diego’s chief Border Patrol agent, Rodney Scott, wrote in a statement on Nov. 24.
He added: “This woman placed her own life and her children’s lives in peril. She could have easily died if not for the quick response by our agents and EMS.”
Migrant Caravan Update
Around 5,000 Central American migrants were in Tijuana, Mexico, as of Friday, and many of them are being kept in the Benito Juarez sports complex located in the city.
Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum described the caravan situation as a humanitarian crisis on Nov. 23. His city is now requesting help from the United Nation’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 10News in San Diego reported.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said on Nov. 24 that migrants at the border would stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were approved in U.S. courts.
“Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No ‘Releasing’ into the U.S.,” Trump said in a tweet late on Nov. 24.
“All will stay in Mexico,” Trump wrote in second tweet. He warned that the U.S. would close its southern border if necessary.
And, he added on Nov. 25, it “would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form (it is a way they get certain people out of their country and dump in U.S. No longer). Dems created this problem. No crossings!”
