An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is being hailed as a hero after rushing to the aid of an unconscious 14-year-old who reportedly jumped from a speeding vehicle in Texas.
ICE law enforcement officer Javier Moralez was driving along Interstate 37 on July 2 when he noticed two vehicles stopped on the roadside and a person lying facedown in a ditch, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Moralez, who is assigned to ICE’s Harlingen-Corpus Christi Sub-Office, immediately pulled over and began providing emergency medical assistance while ensuring that first responders were dispatched.
The teenager was breathing but unresponsive.
Witnesses told authorities the 14-year-old had jumped from a moving vehicle traveling at an estimated 50 to 70 miles per hour. Officials have not disclosed what prompted the teen to jump.
Recognizing the possibility of a serious spinal injury, Moralez directed bystanders to stabilize the victim’s head and neck. He then assessed the teenager’s airway and breathing while preparing to administer CPR if necessary.
“This ICE officer didn’t hesitate when he saw someone lying unconscious on the side of the road,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told the Daily Caller. “He immediately pulled over and rendered lifesaving medical care to the 14-year-old until emergency services arrived.”
Personnel from the Corpus Christi Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and the Nueces County Sheriff’s Office soon arrived and took over the teenager’s medical care. The teen was transported for further treatment.
Moralez briefed the responding sheriff’s deputy before leaving the scene, DHS said.
The teenager’s current condition has not been publicly disclosed.
Bis praised Moralez’s split-second response while pointing to other recent cases in which ICE personnel have stepped in during life-threatening emergencies.
“The men and women of ICE truly are the best of the best, fighting every day to protect the American people despite the smears and attacks they face from sanctuary politicians and media outlets,” Bis said.
Moralez’s actions came amid a string of off-duty and on-duty rescues involving ICE officers.
In June, ICE personnel rushed to help a woman trapped inside her overturned vehicle following a crash in Milwaukee. That same month, an ICE officer in Tampa pulled an unconscious 6-year-old from a swimming pool and performed CPR until the child began breathing again, according to DHS.
In March, an ICE officer supporting Transportation Security Administration operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport performed the Heimlich maneuver on a 1-year-old who had stopped breathing. The child recovered and was later cleared to fly.
DHS also credited off-duty ICE agents with reviving an unresponsive 4-year-old pulled from a hotel swimming pool in February.
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