Agents arrest US citizens for smuggling children through Highway 86 checkpoint
INDIO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Two women were arrested after attempting to smuggle two children into the United States, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
On Tuesday, April 8, agents stopped an SUV at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint near Westmorland. The SUV was being driven by a woman, along with a passenger woman, and two children sleeping in the back seat.
The driver first said they were traveling from Arizona, but later admitted to come from the San Luis Port of Entry. After hearing the story, an agent referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.
Agents checked documentation and determined the children's photos and names did not match their ID cards. The children were also not related to the driver or passenger.
Agents discovered the two children, ages 10 and 12, were unaccompanied minors from Mexico, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
"It's almost unbearable to think about what heinous crimes await children who aren't with their parents. The border environment has been rife with this type of activity over the past several years, however, the focus has now shifted, and heavy sentences await smugglers who hurt kids," said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino of the El Centro Sector.
