see also: in January 2004:   Homeland Security Officers to March in Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade   CBP Border Patrol Agents Seize Large Cache of Marijuana   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes 2.2 Million lbs of Illegal Drugs; $51 Million in Currency FY 2003   Preventing Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases: More Than 1.7 Million Prohibited Agricultural Items Intercepted Last Year   $24 Billion in Federal Revenue Collected by Customs and Border Protection   Tight Security, Technology, and Manpower Result in One Million Apprehensions of People Seeking to Illegally Enter the U. S. in 2003 ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Columbus, NM - A migrant from Argentina who was abandoned by a smuggler in the desert of southern New Mexico for two days was found alive yesterday by Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue Team (BORSTAR) members, Border Patrol agents from Deming, and an air operations pilot.

The remarkable discovery of 43-year old Ricardo Alberto Streich twenty miles west of Columbus in the chilly Cedar Mountain range, culminated after an exhaustive two-day search by Border Patrol rescue teams.

An all-out search for Streich began Monday after Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of 11 illegal immigrants 30 miles northwest of Columbus, N.M. During processing, an immigrant from Argentina told agents that an overweight Argentinean migrant couldn't keep up with the group and was abandoned by smuggler guides in the desert.

Agents located and began following tracks that were believed to be those of Streich. They continued following footprints throughout the day, which was hampered by rain and snowfall. Agents were forced to abandon the search due to darkness. Streich was located midday Tuesday by a Border Patrol pilot, who spotted him from the air. Ground units were dispatched to the site, where they found Streich tired, cold and in need of medical assistance.

Agents say Streich was treated on the scene by emergency medical technicians from BORSTAR, and then transported immediately to Mimbres Memorial Hospital in Deming for observation. Streich has fully recovered and is scheduled to be released from the hospital to the custody of Customs and Border Protection authorities on Wednesday.

Streich told agents that a can of beans, some bread and a small container of water was the extent of his provisions during the 48-hour ordeal. He also told agents he slept little due to the frigid temperatures in the area that required him to keep moving, even during daytime hours.

Customs and Border Protection authorities will continue to interview Streich in an effort to ascertain more information about the smuggling episode, and the ordeal that left him lost in the New Mexico desert for two full days. Agents say Streich apparently paid $2,500.00 to smugglers to gain access into the U.S. for a trip that included Provo, Utah as a final destination.

Streich will remain in custody of Customs and Border Protection authorities at the El Paso Processing Center until such time that his return to Argentina can be arranged.

After being rescued Tuesday, Streich was relieved to have been found. He told agents on Tuesday he stumbled onto an old ranch house, but could not get inside. He also remembers being given a small can of food by a man he believed to be a cowhand at approximately the same time. He said the man advised him to turn himself into authorities, but Streich was determined to make it onto Utah.

The Border Patrol is a division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders.