A Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Officer thwarted a human smuggling attempt, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwestern Arizona and encompasses more than 860,000 acres, including 56 miles of border between the United States and Mexico.
On Thursday, a wildlife officer stopped a Honda CRV in Ligurta, Arizona, carrying five male occupants, including the driver, inside the vehicle. CBP agents and a canine unit arrived on scene to provide additional assistance.
Agents arrested the driver, a 26-year-old U.S. citizen, and four illegal aliens, between the ages of 20 and 33 years old. All four illegal aliens were Mexican citizens.
The vehicle was seized and the illegal aliens were expelled from the United States under Title 42. In accordance with Title 42, President Trump has prohibited the introduction of certain persons and or property into the United States that may further spread the Wuhan coronavirus. People apprehended and subject to this order are not held for processing but immediately expelled to their country of last transit. According to CBP, Title 42 expulsions are tracked separately from enforcement actions, like apprehensions and inadmissibility to enter the country.
