On three different occasions, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested a trio of people who were expected to be involved in human smuggling at the U.S. southern border.
This week, a woman and two men were arrested in the incidents at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, Texas for presenting fake entry documents.
“CBP officers utilize their inspection and interview skills to help identify all individuals making entry through our port of entry," Port Director Albert Flores from the Laredo Port of Entry said in a statement. "The skillset applied in these would-be smuggling attempts illustrates the commitment our officers uphold towards enforcing U.S. immigration laws.”
During the first apprehension, CBP officers encountered a 35-year-old female Mexican citizen traveling in a commercial bus, who presented U.S. birth certificates for three minor children and one adult female who were ordered to undergo an inspection. During the examination, it was revealed that the birth certificates did not belong to the seven-year-old girl, the 11- 11-year-old boy, or the five-month-old.
The second arrest occurred when CBP officers encountered a 48-year-old male Mexican citizen who presented a U.S. Employment Authorization Card for an adult female. They were also referred for an inspection. While CBP officers were investigating the subjects, they discovered that the Employment Authorization Card did not belong to the adult female and did not have valid entry documents.
Meanwhile, the third apprehension occurred over the weekend during the examination of arriving bus passengers. CBP officers referred a 30-year-old male Mexican citizen bus passenger for an inspection where the officers found that the passenger had a counterfeit State of Texas identification card.
According to the 2023 Modern Slavery Index, under the Biden Administration, an estimated 1.1 million people are currently being exploited in the U.S. as human smugglers— whether they are foreigners or American citizens.
With more than six million illegal migrants have been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection into the U.S. since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, they remain vulnerable to human trafficking due to migration, relocation, and unstable housing.
According to data, U.S. federal human trafficking convictions decreased by 48 percent between 2019 and 2022.