East County News Service
Photos courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
January 25, 2025 (Jacumba Hot Springs, CA) – Two hikers in the Jacumba Wilderness were robbed and attacked, with one man shot by “suspected Mexican cartel terrorists,” according to a press release issued by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
According to the CPB, agents from the El Centro sector were dispatched following a 911 call reporting that a man had been shot and needed assistance. The agents found a group of hikers about 1,000 feet north of the international border in the Jacumba Wilderness, which is near the San Diego County and Imperial County line. The hikers reportedly stated that two of the hikers, an American and a Canadian, were ordered by armed men to approach.
When the hikers refused, “the assailants fired a volley of shots toward the hikers, striking one victim in the leg. The assailants advanced on the downed hiker and his Canadian companion, robbing them of their cell phones and backpacks,” the release states.
At 12:08 p.m. Mountain Disrupt Unit, Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), and Border Patrol Search Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents infiltrated to the area, locating the injured victim and stabilizing him.
Agents created a protective perimeter and extracted the victim via CBP Air and Marine Operations San Diego, according to the CPB.
According to Scott Lord business director with Mercy Air, "The victim was transferred to Mercy Air Ambulance and flown to Sharp Medical Center in San Diego for treatment." He indicated that this is the first incidence of a hiker shooting along the border locally that he is aware of, adding that he has friends who have hiked the Pacific Coast Trail from Mexico to Canada and never heard of anything like this.
BORTAC and BORSTAR agents maintained a secure perimeter and tracked the assailants back to the border where they returned to Mexico.
It is unclear why the CPB believes the attackers were cartel members, though cartels have long been involved in smuggling operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.
While unprovoked attacks on hikers locally are rare (ECM has never received any previous similar eport since our founding in 2008), cartel criminal activities have spilled over the border. including illicit drug activities and more. On January 21, San Diego Police announced arrest of dozens of individual suspected of criminal activities affiliated with Mexican Mafia, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The suspects are largely street gang members who “took orders from cartel bosses operating in state prison and preyed on business owners by forcing mafia-style taxes,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said Tuesday at a news conference.
The hiker’s shooting comes days after President Donald Trump declared a border emergency designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations. Trump's order states that these groups "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." He has threatened to send U.S. special forces commando into Mexico to go after cartels.
El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino states, “The wounded hiker is an ‘I told you so moment’ highlighting the importance of adequate infrastructure the Border Patrol has been championing for years now.” He predicts, “Suspected cartel terrorists, however, are fixing to learn this type of conduct will be an end game type of activity here in the Premier Sector. All threats, anywhere, or at any time throughout this sector will be addressed vigorously.”
Jacumba Hikers issued a statement on Facebook indicating that while this incident did not involve their hiking group,"Due to this incident, we have decided to cancel the upcoming hike and avoid hiking near the border at this time."
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the patient was transported on Reach Air Ambulance, based on a Border Patrol press release. However Mercy Air has contacted us to clarify that their company provided the transport.