Hidalgo, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Hidalgo International Bridge so far this month have intercepted six men and four women, all for alleged violations of U.S. immigration law.
On Oct. 14 a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Dallas arrived at Hidalgo International Bridge in a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup accompanied by three minor children. The female traveler allegedly identified the children as U.S. citizens and presented U.S. birth certificates for all three. A CBP officer referred the woman and children for further inspection. CBP officers established that two of the children were citizens of Mexico and that the birth certificates presented for them belonged to someone else. The third child proved to be a U.S. citizen. The children were released to their Mexican citizen parent and returned to Mexico.
So far, during the month of October, CBP officers intercepted and arrested three alleged female imposters and one alleged male imposter. All four arrived at this border crossing as pedestrians. In addition, four Mexican nationals and a citizen from Colombia were arrested on alleged violations of immigration law involving entry without inspection, photo substitution, fraud, and for allegedly making an false oral claim to U.S. citizenship.
Hector A. Mancha, CBP port director, Hidalgo-Pharr said, "officer skill, experience, screening and the utilization of CBP databases played a major role in intercepting these people as they allegedly attempted to enter our country in violation of immigration law." Mancha further said, "I commend our frontline officers for a job well done and for working hard to secure our nation's borders."