U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Stop Alleged of a Minor Child

Hidalgo, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Hidalgo Port of Entry intercepted a woman for alleged violations of immigration law. The United States citizen allegedly attempted to facilitate a Mexican child’s entry into the United States without valid entry documents.

On Monday, July 2, at the Hidalgo International Bridge a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen who resides in Pharr, Texas and a minor child applied for admission to enter the United States. A CBP officer’s primary inspection resulted in the two pedestrians being referred to CBP secondary for further examination. In passport control secondary, CBP officers used a CBP database and discovered the minor child is a citizen of Colombia with no legal documents to enter or reside in the United States.

CBP officers took the adult into custody for alleged violations of immigration law. The eleven-month-old Colombian minor child was processed as an unaccompanied alien child and will be placed in the care of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS-ORR). 

“Hidalgo CBP officers encountered this child traveling without her parents in a failed alleged smuggling attempt. Stopping an alleged child smuggler on the border may prevent further harm the child may face if not for the outstanding work being done by CBP officers on the frontline,” said Efrain Solis, Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.