Contributed Photo/Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection: A truck driven by a 19-year-old U.S. citizen was found to have 10 undocumented migrants hiding under plywood in the truck bed.
Contributed Article/Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection
SASABE – U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a 19-year-old U.S. citizen attempting to smuggle 10 migrants, including three minors, in the bed of a truck near Sasabe, Arizona, on Friday morning.
Tucson Station agents stopped a 2000 Dodge Ram for an immigration inspection on Highway 286 a few miles north of the Sasabe Port of Entry. During the inspection, they found 10 undocumented individuals concealed beneath sheets of plywood in the truck bed. The bed’s tailgate was closed, dangerously trapping the migrants on top of each other without means of escape. Agents were surprised to find two little girls, ages 4 and 8, and a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor among the group of Mexican and Guatemalan citizens.
The driver was arrested and faces federal human smuggling charges. The migrants were taken into custody and transported to the Tucson Coordination Center for processing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll-free. Reporting illicit activity could result in saving someone’s life.
