Us Military Identifies 2 Marines Killed In Vehicle Crash Near Mexico Border

The Marine Corps has identified the two U.S. service members killed in a vehicle crash earlier this week in New Mexico along the southern border. 

Lance Cpl. Albert Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Marcelino Gamino, 28, of Fresno, Calif., were killed Tuesday after their nontactical vehicle crashed around 8:50 a.m. local time during a convoy movement from Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, the 1st Marine Division said in a statement Thursday.

The two Marines, both combat engineers, had been supporting Border Patrol units as part of Joint Task Force–Southern Border operations. A third Marine was injured in the accident and remains in critical condition.

All three individuals come from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and were on a reconnaissance mission as the Pentagon looks to better its understanding of the U.S.-Mexico border region, The Washington Post reported.

“The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us,” Marine Corps Lt. Col. Tyrone Barrion, the commanding officer for 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, said in a statement. “I extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of our fallen brothers.”

At the time of the crash, which the Post reported as a rollover, the three Marines were in a convoy moving east. The military has not released details as to their exact activities surrounding the accident, as an investigation is ongoing.

The deaths mark the first such casualties since the Trump administration has ordered thousands more active duty troops to the southern border to crack down on illegal immigration.

Aguilera, who enlisted in March 2023, was promoted to lance corporal in May 2024, according to the Marines statement.

Gamino enlisted in May 2022 and was promoted to lance corporal in August 2024, with decorations that include the National Defense Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. He also deployed to Darwin, Australia, in 2024 with Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.

Joint Task Force-Southern Border, created in March, is an operation meant to aid U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in monitoring the border between the United States and Mexico to protect against transnational criminal organizations.

It was formed after President Trump issued an executive order shortly after taking office calling for a crackdown on illegal entries across the border.

The military’s role at the border is expected to widen after the Trump administration on Tuesday transferred control of roughly 110,000 acres of federally held land to the Defense Department. The move allows the military to more actively help law enforcement detain those who cross illegally, marking a break from the role of troops at the border in past administrations.