Marines killed in Santa Teresa crash identified

The two service members killed in a vehicle crash Tuesday in Santa Teresa were identified Thursday by the Marine Corps as Lance Cpl. Albert Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Marcelino Gamino, 28, of Fresno, Calif.

The crash occurred at approximately 8:50 a.m. on April 15 during a convoy movement on a New Mexico state road not far from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, for a mission under the recently formed Joint Task Force Southern Border. The operations follow from the Trump administration’s increased military deployment at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Both men were assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion under the 1st Marine Division, according to a news release. A third Marine from the battalion, who was not identified, remained hospitalized in El Paso in critical condition. All three had been based at Camp Pendleton in California.

Details of the crash were scarce as an investigation continued Friday, but early reports from the scene suggested a civilian vehicle rolled over by the side of N.M. 9, which runs alongside the border.

Gamino had enlisted in 2022 and was promoted to the rank of lance corporal last August, the Marines reported. Aguilera joined the service in 2023 and was promoted to lance corporal last May.

“The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us,” the battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Tyrone Barrion, stated in the news release. “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.”

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in January and, last week, his administration transferred federal land near the border through California, Arizona and New Mexico for military use. Yet, for the second consecutive month, the Border Patrol reported a historically low rate of daily apprehensions in the southwest, averaging 264 per day in March.

In a news release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the data demonstrates that “operational control of the border is becoming a reality and enforcement measures are yielding significant results.”