The Yuma Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol held their annual Border Safety Event last week.

The event was to highlight awareness of the many life-threatening hazards that face anyone trying to illegally enter the U.S. through the Sonoran Desert. Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre emphasized the Border Patrol's Missing Migrant Program Initiative (MMPI), an intervention program that discourages illegal border crossings. The MMPI operates 124 rescue signs across the desert between Yuma and Wellton that display coordinates of it's location and instructions on how to notify 911 operators. Since October 1, 2024, Yuma Sector experienced only 19 rescues and one death, compared to 6 deaths and 89 rescues over the same time period a year ago.