Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector received a call from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office about a deceased migrant found on a ranch near the Texas border with Mexico. The agents responded to recover the body.

Agents from the Laredo West Border Patrol Station traveled with Webb County Sheriff’s Office deputies on the morning of August 29 to a ranch located near Catarina, Texas. The small South Texas community is located a few miles north of a Border Patrol immigration checkpoint located on U.S. Highway 83 between Laredo and Carrizo Springs, Texas.

An energy company employee notified law enforcement after he found the body of a deceased man lying face down in the sand. Border Patrol agents arrived on the scene and secured the area until Webb County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the medical examiner’s office arrived. Local officials pronounced the migrant male dead and provided transportation for an autopsy.

“Working in extreme temperatures and harsh terrain, the agents’ assistance in recovering this person represents the first step in the process of returning him to his family, helping bring much-needed closure to loved ones,” Laredo Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens said in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “While the primary mission of the U.S. Border Patrol is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States, while also stopping the smuggling of humans, narcotics, and other contraband, our agents are often called upon to do so much more.”

The next step will be for the Webb County Medical Examiner’s office to attempt to identify the body. A backpack found with the man’s remains could be the only clues available at this time.

Laredo Sector agents assisted in the recovery of 64 deceased migrants this fiscal year. One of those victims lost his life a few days earlier on a ranch near Freer, Texas, Breitbart Texas reported.

Dispatchers in the Laredo Sector received information about a migrant left behind by smugglers after he became ill from the heat and could not keep pace. Border Patrol agents teamed up with Border Search, Rescue, and Trauma (BORSTAR) agents and air support to execute a search and rescue operation.

After 14 hours, agents came upon a migrant lying face down under a tree. He succumbed to the heat and passed away, officials stated.

Laredo Sector agents also participated in the rescue of 1,101 people from dangerous situations. Officials said those include exposure to extreme weather conditions and motor vehicle accidents.

During the calendar year 2018, at least 175 migrants were found dead after illegally crossing the border into Texas from Mexico — at least 276 nationally. This compares to 245 in 2017 year-to-date reports and 243 in 2016. The two previous years combined for a total of 233, according to reports from the Missing Migrant Project.