CBP Officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge Foil Child Smuggling Attempt; Male Arrested

Hidalgo, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge arrested a male U.S. citizen from McAllen, Texas, for allegedly attempting to smuggle a 10-year-old Guatemalan national into the United States.

On October 31, CBP officers working at the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a male U.S. citizen, 30, from McAllen and two minor male children, both 10 years old, at the pedestrian walkway. A CBP officer referred the three travelers to secondary for further inspection. In secondary, the adult male allegedly presented U.S. birth certificates for himself and the two children. CBP officers later established that there was no relationship between the adult male and the two minors; that only one boy was in fact a U.S. citizen and the other a Guatemalan national with no valid documents to enter or reside in the U.S.

Pending appearance before a U.S. federal magistrate on criminal charges for violations of U.S. immigration law, the male traveler remains incarcerated. CBP called the mother of the U.S. citizen boy who arrived at the port of entry and turned him over to her. The Guatemalan boy was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for transport to a U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement facility.

Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr Port of Entry said, “The daily dedication our officers exhibit toward the CBP mission is demonstrated every time a significant interdiction is made. Whether it’s intercepting narcotics or uncovering a human smuggling attempt like this, what CBP officers do keep the country safe.”

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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.