Border Patrol, Sunland Park PD offer safety advice for Mt. Cristo Rey
Sunland Park Police were called Mt. Cristo Rey at about 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning after people were allegedly robbed.
Police said two of the victims were assaulted with air rifles.
“The guy had a rifle and with that rifle they hit him in the back of the head twice which cut him up,” said Robert Perez, one of the victims of Sunday’s attack. “He was able to get away from it and run down here and that’s when he got medical attention and, unfortunately, he had to go to the hospital.”
Police are still searching for the two suspects.
ABC-7 spoke with Border Patrol agents Monday to learn more about the unique challenges the area presents.
No wall or road exists on the border where Mt. Cristo Rey sits, so other measures are used to prevent illegal crossings.
“We utilize agents on the ground, we have sensors in the area, and we also have helicopters and they give assistance as well,” said Joe Reyes, with the U.S. Border Patrol.
According to Border Patrol documents received by ABC-7 in 2015, a little more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants were capture crossing in the Cristo Rey area in 2014. The U.S. Border Patrol recommends you hike with large groups. Hikers are also advised to contact Sunland Park Police before embarking on their hike to the summit of the mountain. Border Patrol told ABC-7 Sunland Park police will notify officers and Border Patrol agents ahead of time when they know someone is going to hike the mountain. ABC-7’s General Manager, Kevin Lovell has been working to make the mountain safer. “I took it on as a personal crusade a year and a half ago,” Lovell said. Lovell, who is also an avid hiker, feels that more needs to be done to prevent illegal crossings and crime. “It shouldn’t be that way, they should stop the intrusions at the border like they do all they way up and down the Rio Grande in El Paso,” Lovell added.
