Mexican citizen who fell off border wall dies month later in Texas hospital, feds say

A Mexican man who fell while trying to climb a border fence in South Texas has died, according to Customs and Border Protection officials.

The man’s July 16 death came one month after border patrol agents stationed in Brownsville found the man lying on the ground with a “significant injury to his lower leg,” about two miles west of the Brownsville point of entry.

He was taken to Valley Regional Medical Center in Harlingen for treatment, according to a CBP statement. While there, he tested positive for COVID-19.

Soon after, the man was transported to another Harlingen hospital, Valley Baptist Medical Center, for surgery for the injuries from his fall.

He was put under anesthesia, underwent two operations, but never regained consciousness, CBP said. On Friday, he was taken off of life support and pronounced dead.

COVID-related complications contributed significantly to his death, a CBP official told McClatchy News.

“He didn’t necessarily succumb from the fracture in his lower leg … (as much as) he did from COVID-19,” the official said.

Still, attempting to scale barriers along the U.S. and Mexico border has proven time and again a hazardous undertaking.

In May, a 56-year-old man fell from a section of border wall near San Diego and died, McClatchy News reported.

And in June, the El Paso Times reported a 24-year-old Mexican citizen plummeted 30 feet to his death after climbing a border wall using a makeshift ladder.

This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 4:08 PM.