Guard Soldiers, CBP team rescue illegal alien after life-threatening snakebite

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas - North Carolina Guardsmen and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents rescued a suspected illegal alien who was bitten by a snake while attempting to cross the southern border June 2 at about 10:45 p.m.

While on patrol, Staff Sgt. Sethone Kan, assigned to the 252nd Engineer Company, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, supporting Joint Task Force-Southern Border, received a call from the Fort Brown Border Patrol Station and the Cameron County Sheriff's Office regarding a suspected illegal alien in distress.

Recognizing the urgency, a joint rescue team was immediately formed, consisting of five Guardsmen and three Border Patrol agents, including medics from both organizations.

Soldiers with the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade work alongside the Department of Homeland Security throughout the Texas sector, providing unique military capabilities to support security operations along the U.S. southern border.

Due to severe flooding in the area, standard vehicles could not navigate the roads. The team deployed an Army Infantry Squad Vehicle, a versatile transport vehicle designed to operate in extreme environments. Kan launched a small drone, officially known as an unmanned aerial system, and used its thermal capability to locate the injured individual.

"Around 11:05 p.m., I found him and activated the strobe lights to guide the ISV team to the location," Kan said.

Simultaneously, U.S. Army Spc. Michael Smith, 252nd Engineer Company, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, successfully drove the vehicle off-road with the rescue team. To navigate the featureless, muddy terrain in the dark, the team relied on the Android Tactical Assault Kit, or ATAK, a ruggedized smartphone equipped with military-grade GPS and mapping software.

"It was rough getting through that mud, especially at night," Smith said. "There were no trails, but we used our ATAK system to navigate to the location marked by the drone's strobe light."

When the rescue team reached the location, U.S. Army Spc. Brycen Anderson and a Border Patrol medic quickly rendered aid while the rest of the team secured the site.

"When I got there, he was semi-conscious and bleeding from his leg. There was a puncture wound that looked like it was from a snake bite," Anderson said. "His leg appeared to be turning purple from bruising - possible for venom. Also, his foot looked like it was broken."

The team stabilized the man and used the ISV to transport him to a Brownsville Emergency Medical Services team staged on a nearby road. Brownsville EMS then transported him to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

CBP agents remained with the individual to verify his citizenship status.

At 11:57 p.m., Border Patrol agents confirmed the individual was an illegal alien from Ecuador.

The illegal alien was treated with morphine and anti-inflammatory medication. He was also given antivenom as a precautionary measure. Hours after being rescued, the individual was in stable condition and in CBP custody.

The unity of effort between the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security led to the rapid detection and rescue of the individual, resulting in a life saved while maintaining border security.

U.S. Northern Command established Joint Task Force-Southern Border to execute full-scale, agile and simultaneous multidomain border operations. JTF-SB service members are deployed to protect U.S. sovereignty, territorial integrity and security from unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities. All DoW personnel receive specific training to ensure the humane treatment of all individuals encountered while operating along the southern border.

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard