Two accused child smugglers arrested at Highway 86 checkpoint

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - U.S. Border Patrol agents at the El Centro Sector arrested two United States citizens on Tuesday, accusing them of attempting to smuggle two children illegally into the U.S.

Agents report an SUV approached the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint, driven by a woman accompanied by another woman in the front passenger seat. Two girls were sleeping in the rear passenger seats.  

The driver told Border Patrol agents they were traveling from Arizona to California but later admitted they crossed into the United States from Mexico through the San Luis Port of Entry in Arizona. Agents noted the discrepancies in the driver’s story and sent the vehicle to secondary inspection. 

Agents reviewed the children’s documents and determined the children’s photos and names did not match those on the identification cards. They also learned the children were not related to the driver or passenger and the driver did not know the children’s mother. After further questioning, agents discovered the two children, ages 10 and 12, were unaccompanied minors from Mexico.

“And this, folks, is how the trafficking of children starts,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino of the El Centro Sector. “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.”

Both the driver and the adult passenger are facing charges of Alien Smuggling. The vehicle was seized as evidence.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates to this story.