A six-year-old Costa Rican boy wandering alone in the scalding desert was rescued by Ajo Station Border Patrol agents on Tuesday evening, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection.
The abandoned boy told agents his uncle dropped him off and that Border Patrol would pick him up — a line they’ve heard a million times before, to be sure.
The boy also said he was en route to see his mother, who was living in America.
[lz_apester id=”5b2c10e5b4076b84a11eb812″ height=”418″]
He was found abandoned west of Lukeville, Arizona, and just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, in oppressive temperatures of more than 100 degrees.
Still, the child appeared to be in good condition. He was subsequently taken to Tucson, Arizona, for further processing.
The scenario is all but cliché, sadly.
Related: First Lady Melania Trump Visits Child Detention Center in McAllen, Texas
Some 100,000 children were found along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2015 and 2016, according to a PBS report.
And make no mistake: This particular incident encapsulates the dangers faced by migrants — especially children — at the hands of avaricious and merciless smugglers — and also the extreme and brutal weather conditions at the southern border.
It is just one piece of the far larger and more complex puzzle that makes up the illegal immigration crisis this country is facing — which President Donald Trump, his administration and Congress have been struggling to solve.
Elizabeth Economou is a former CNBC staff writer and adjunct professor. Follow her on Twitter.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.