Two Ecuadorian sisters who were dumped over the Mexico-United States border could soon be reunited with their parents in New York, according to officials.
Yareli, three, and Yasmina, five, were abruptly dropped over the 4.2 metre border wall in New Mexico last Tuesday, according to surveillance footage released by Border Patrol.
In the video, the three-year-old is seen dangling over the border walls when a smuggler lets go of her. She lands on her feet then falls face-first into the dirt.
The smuggler does the same with the five-year-old, who lands on her feet then her bottom. The smuggler then jumps off and runs away.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agent Gloria Chavez posted the video on Twitter, calling this behaviour "cruel".
"Smugglers, under cover of night, scaled a 14 ft (4.2 metre) border barrier and cruelly dropped two young children in the middle of the New Mexico desert," she said.
"The girls, ages three and five were left miles from the nearest residence."
Border authorities said the children were found, taken to hospital and cleared of any physical injuries.
Magdalena Núñez of the Consulate of Ecuador told Daily Mail she had a chance to speak with the girls on Monday.
"The girls are in excellent health," she said.
The children are being held at the El Paso Processing Centre in Texas and are to be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services' care.
