Illegal immigrant dies after being caught by agents at border

A Salvadoran man died Thursday morning in Border Patrol custody, just hours after he’d been nabbed illegally crossing into the U.S.

The 32-year-old was caught at 9 p.m. and was “being processed” at a New Mexico Border Patrol station when he “fell into medical distress,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

The agency said attempts to revive him were made — though it doesn’t say by whom — but said they were unsuccessful.

“Our condolences are with his family,” the agency said.

Border deaths have drawn extra scrutiny in recent months.

Agents say the population attempting to sneak into the U.S. is sicker than it had been in the past, leading to a surge in hospitalization calls.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said they’re even seeing migrants who are in need of immediate surgery when they cross.

“We see a lot of communicable disease, a lot of severe illnesses, in some cases we’ve had immediate surgery required for congenital defects,” he told Congress last month. “They actually came to the border to have surgery.”

He said they are seeing a “sicker population this year than we’ve ever seen at the border before.”