An illegal immigrant was rescued by a Customs and Border Protection helicopter from the Cerro Colorado Mountains near Arivaca on Tuesday after he was stuck on a near-vertical cliff, authorities said.
Rescuers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office and U.S. Border Patrol originally responded to the area Monday after receiving a 911 call from the man, who was from Mexico, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office news release.
A CBP helicopter crew spotted the man at about 10 p.m. Monday and called the Border Patrol’s search and rescue team, who determined it would be safer to wait until Tuesday morning.
The Border Patrol agents began their rescue operation at 5 a.m., attempting to reach the man by using a rope rescue system.
However, the agents decided the man would have to be rescued by helicopter because of his position on the cliff and a lack of anchor points for the rope.
A CBP Blackhawk helicopter rescued the man using a rope suspension technique.
The man was treated for mild dehydration and taken to the Tucson Border Patrol station for processing to be returned to Mexico.
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