Eagle Pass CBP Officers Halt Human Smuggling Attempt at Port

EAGLE PASS, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Eagle Pass port of entry halted a human smuggling attempt of a minor during the weekend.

“Our officers check the identity of everyone seeking to enter the United States,” said Port Director John Brandt, Eagle Pass Port of Entry. “CBP Field Operations takes all human smuggling cases very seriously, especially those involving children.”

On Oct. 8, a minor, who was accompanied by an adult woman, requested admission into the United States at the Camino Real International Bridge, as they arrived in the pedestrian lane from Mexico. The minor presented a U.S. birth certificate to the officers. Upon questioning, CBP officers learned that the minor was a Mexican citizen without legal documents to enter the U.S., and the woman allegedly provided the U.S. birth certificate to smuggle her into the U.S. illegally.

The minor was released to the Mexican Consulate. The adult, a 19-year-old woman from Denham Spring, will appear before a U.S. magistrate for alleged violation of immigration law.

The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.