Three illegal immigrants were found dead in the Arizona desert this week after succumbing to the heat, the Border Patrol said Friday.

Agents say a group of migrants on Wednesday triggered an emergency rescue beacon in the remote parts of southern Arizona, near Ajo. When agents responded, they were told about four migrants who had been left behind.

They rescued one of the four, but by the time they found the other three migrants they were dead.

Temperatures peaked at about 110 degrees on Wednesday afternoon.

“[Customs and Border Protection’s] message for anyone who is thinking of soliciting the services of smuggling organizations to enter the United States illegally along the Southern border is simple: don’t do it,” said Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre. “Far too many people who made the decision to place their lives into the hands of the criminal organizations have died of dehydration and heat stroke.”

The migrants’ bodies were turned over to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office.

The deaths came the same day that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was in Arizona visiting the border and claiming victory over President Biden’s latest policies, including an executive action tightening the rules on making asylum claims.

Mr. Mayorkas said that step has changed the calculus of would-be migrants, making them believe they may not win the quick catch-and-release that had been standard for most of the Biden administration.

He said the result has been a 40% drop in Border Patrol arrests.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.