TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents foiled two separate human smuggling incidents, arresting eight people in Amado and Lukeville, AZ, Wednesday afternoon.
Tucson Sector agents at the Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint in Amado encountered a Chevrolet Malibu around 3:40 p.m. After referring the vehicle to secondary inspection, agents discovered three Guatemalan men concealed in the trunk. All three were illegally present in the United States.
The three migrants as well as the vehicle’s driver, a Tucson man, were arrested.
Around the same time, agents witnessed two men illegally entering the U.S. by scaling a section pedestrian fencing not yet replaced by new Border Wall west of Lukeville. The men walked into an awaiting vehicle that then drove north on state Route 85.
Agents at the state Route 85 immigration checkpoint encountered the Chevrolet Impala a short while later, discovering a Honduran woman and Guatemalan man concealed in the trunk. Both were arrested, as were the vehicle’s driver and passenger, both Phoenix women.
Although southern Arizona temperatures surpassed 105 degrees near the time of the incidents, none of the five people inside the confined space of the trunks required medical attention. None were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as facial coverings, at the time of apprehension.
The three U.S. citizens involved face federal human smuggling charges.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol would like to remind the public that hiding people in a vehicle’s trunk is a cruel tactic, especially during summer months. Those inside can suffer heat related illness, asphyxiation from a lack of oxygen and serious injury or death in the event of a collision.
For more details regarding this news release, contact the Tucson Sector Public Affairs Office at tca-pao@cbp.dhs.gov or by phone at 520-748-3210. Tucson Sector is also LiveU capable. Contact us to schedule an interview.