Two people were injured after falling off a 30-foot-tall section of the border wall between San Diego and Mexico, just the latest incident as the California county deals with an influx of more than 200,000 migrants so far this year.
A pair trying to sneak into the US Sunday morning instead plummeted 30 feet to the ground near Border Field State Park, CBS 8 reports.
Ambulances were called to the scene, with the two taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Customs and Border Protection agents did not comment on their condition or if any other migrants fell or were caught trespassing in the area.
Such incidents have become more commonplace along the border, with a migrant falling to her death last month at another part of the San Diego border wall just 13 miles away.
The woman, who was not publicly identified, was found dead near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry when she failed to climb the 30-foot fence.
Fatal falls along the San Diego-Tijuana border have soared 162% over the past three years, in part due to the 30-foot border fence that was constructed during the Trump administration, the Mexican Consulate in San Diego has said.
San Diego officials, however, have stressed the need for the high border wall as a means to deter migrants from entering California, as the county has seen a surge in hundreds of thousands arriving in 2023.
“San Diego County is now grappling with an average of nearly 600 migrants being street-released daily,” County District Supervisor Jim Desmond told CBS 8. “If this trend persists, by the end of the year, we are projected to have over 52,000 migrants street-released in our region.
“This influx is on top of the over 200,000 migrants that have entered San Diego this year,” he added.
Desmond warned that the influx is pushing the county to its “breaking point” after county board supervisors voted to set aside $3 million for migrant services and shelter.
He ultimately called on the Biden administration to act before San Diego is completely overwhelmed with migrants.
“I urge federal authorities to take swift and decisive action to bring stability and security back to our community,” Desmond said.