The US military released the names of the two Marines killed in a vehicle accident after their car dropped into a 10-foot ditch and rolled over Tuesday along a narrow highway in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, where they were serving President Trump’s border mission.
The two Marines were identified as Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, California, and Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, of Fresno, California. They were both combat engineers with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, according to the 1st Marine Division.
Aguilera enlisted in March 2023 and was promoted to lance corporal in May 2024, while Gamino enlisted in May 2022 and was promoted to lance corporal in August 2024.
While serving his country, Gamino received the National Defense Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. He also deployed to Darwin, Australia, with Marine Rotational Force-Darwin last year.
“The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us,” U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Tyrone A. Barrion, the commanding officer for 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and Task Force Sapper, said in a statement.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of our fallen brothers. Our top priority right now is to ensure that their families, and the Marines affected by their passing, are fully supported during this difficult time,” Barrion added.
The Marines were driving along a two-lane highway as they tried to pass another vehicle, causing their vehicle to roll into a ditch known as “Snake Canyon,” a hangout spot for both smugglers and snakes, and slam into a wall of solid rock, sources familiar with the accident told The Post.
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A border agent “was covered head to toe” in blood after attempting to save the service members, according to a source.
“That area out there is treacherous,” said a source.
“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.
The Marines were then airlifted to a nearby hospital before they ultimately died. A third Marine with their battalion remains in critical condition after sustaining injuries in the accident, the 1st Marine Division said.
Trump deployed thousands of additional troops to the southern border to stop the flow of illegal migrants and illicit drugs upon reentering the White House.
Border crossings have fallen to their lowest levels on record, with Border Patrol agents encountering roughly 7,100 migrants in March, fewer than what they saw in the first two days of March 2024, according to federal data.