HIDALGO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man has been arrested after authorities alleged birth certificates he presented to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers did not belong to the two undocumented minors with him.
On Saturday, CBP officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge were met with a 50-year-old man accompanied by two girls traveling on foot from Mexico to the United States. The man was reported to be a U.S. citizen and presented the minors as his cousins to law enforcement.
He presented officers with U.S. birth certificates for the girls that did not belong to them, according to a CBP news release.
CBP Office of Field Operations arrested the man. The Mexican-citizen minors were processed as unaccompanied undocumented noncitizens and were turned over to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the release states.
“Our CBP officers thwarted this alleged child smuggling attempt thanks to their experience and excellent interview skills,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry said.
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