Summary of Incident: Agents encounter illegal alien having a heart attack after crossing the border

This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.

On Dec. 25, 2025, at 5:34 p.m., U.S. Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Del Rio Border Patrol Station encountered and apprehended a male citizen of Mexico. BPAs encountered the man sitting in a chair near the Rio Grande River approximately four miles west of Del Rio, Texas. The man advised BPAs he was having trouble breathing and had pain in his chest and left arm. BPAs subsequently placed the man in a marked U.S. government vehicle and transported him to Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio, Texas.

At 6 p.m., Del Rio station BPAs arrived at VVRMC, where medical personnel assumed care of the man. Hospital medical personnel determined that the man was experiencing an active heart attack, and medical personnel were able to stabilize him. BPAs initiated hospital watch on the man and were later relieved at 8:20 p.m. by CBP contract personnel.

On Dec. 26, 2025, at 12:37 a.m., CBP contract personnel performing hospital watch alerted Del Rio station management that Hospital medical personnel were preparing the man for transport by air to Methodist Hospital Metropolitan in San Antonio, Texas for advanced care.

The man arrived at MHM at 1:31 a.m., where hospital medical personnel assumed care of him. He was sedated, intubated, and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Uvalde Border Patrol Station BPAs initiated hospital watch on the man at 2:31 a.m. Hospital medical personnel advised BPAs that the man was suffering from sepsis and low potassium levels.

At 3:02 a.m., hospital medical personnel advised BPAs that the man went into cardiac arrest. Hospital medical personnel were able to successfully revive him; however, they were having difficulty stabilizing him; and, at approximately 7 a.m., he went into cardiac arrest again.

At 7:19 a.m., the ICU doctor at the hospital pronounced the man deceased. The Bexar County Medical Examiner took custody of the man and advised the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility that an autopsy would not be performed.

CBP OPR is reviewing this incident and notified the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 67,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.

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• U.S. Border Patrol