A teenager from Mexico was rescued by a sheriff in Texas after being abandoned by smugglers he paid to help him cross the border.
According to NewsNation, 18-year-old Hector became separated from his group and used a game camera to signal for help by showing his Mexican passport.Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland found Hector on the side of the road in tears and begging for help.
Hector reportedly told authorities he was headed to Indianapolis with a group of 10 people. He said he paid smugglers $3,000 to cross the border after the cartel pressured him to work for them. He claimed he would've owed an additional $3,000 upon reaching his destination.
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"I want to go home to my mother. They left me in those hills, I had to cross from there to there, and I went to the ranch looking for help," Hector said.
"They left, they abandoned me, I couldn't keep walking."
"They threatened me in Tehuacan if I didn't work for the narcos, because I was indebted to them. So, I focused on getting out of Tehuacan as soon as I could," he said.
Following his rescue, Hector was hospitalised for muscle deterioration likely caused by overuse, which may have led to him falling behind the group.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there are an estimated 3 million illegal entries into the United States each year. Between South and North America, most migrants are smuggled in trucks across the border, though cases have been noted where travel is also done by foot, rail, or even through dedicated tunnels.
