OAN Staff James Meyers
10:59 AM – Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Two Marines that were deployed to assist in the Trump administration’s Southern Border crackdown were tragically killed in a vehicle accident along a highway in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, while a third is now in critical condition.
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The U.S. Northern Command has yet to release the names of the victims, at least until it notifies the victims’ relatives and further investigates the accident — the military said in a statement.
The Marines were reportedly driving along a two-lane highway in a civilian Jeep when they tried to pass another vehicle. However, the driver’s depth perception presumably failed him and the vehicle tumbled into a deep ditch, in a rollover crash. The ditch is known by locals as “Snake Canyon,” and it is considered a hangout spot for drug smugglers and slithering snakes.
The car had “slammed into a wall of solid rock,” according to sources who spoke with The Washington Post.
A Border Patrol agent who attempted to save the Marines could be seen ”covered head to toe” in blood after responding to the incident, according to three defense officials who spoke with the press.
“That area out there is treacherous,” the defense official stated.
According to The Washington Post, three defense officials said the crash involved U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton, which is based in San Diego, CA.
“It would be a horrible place to go off the road because the canyon is right off the shoulder. It has concrete tunnels that run underneath the highway and we have sensors there because illegal aliens hide under it and then get picked up by a load vehicle,” said another source.
After being pulled out of the crashed vehicle, the two badly wounded Marines were airlifted to a nearby hospital, though they later died due to their horrific injuries.
The third service member involved in the incident is currently alive and still in “critical, but stable condition,” multiple sources said. A “critical but stable” condition, a seemingly paradoxical phrase, describes a patient in a severe, potentially life-threatening situation, but their vital signs are currently steady and not worsening.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has deployed thousands of additional troops to the Southern Border to stop any attempts of illegal crossings and illicit drugs — such as fentanyl, heroin, and meth.
The White House recently authorized the military to assume control of federal land along the border to facilitate the construction of an additional barrier and to deploy and evaluate advanced detection technologies.
A report released by Border and Customs Protection revealed that, last month, federal agents encountered a record-low number of foreigners attempting to illegally cross the border.
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