An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. CBP Officers at Hidalgo International Bridge Arrest Female Smuggler

CBP Officers at Hidalgo International Bridge Arrest Female Smuggler

Release Date
Mon, 12/02/2019

Woman Detected with Fraudulent Documents

HIDALGO, Texas—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a woman who allegedly attempted to smuggle a Mexican citizen into the United States and another woman for allegedly using fraudulent documents to illegally enter the country.

“Smuggling of persons is just as serious as smuggling narcotics and CBP Field Operations will seek the fullest punishment allowed by law for those involved in these types of illicit activities,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.

CBP officers conduct primary examinations at the Hidalgo International Bridge pedestrian walkway
CBP officers conduct primary examinations at
the Hidalgo International Bridge pedestrian
walkway.

The smuggling incident occurred on Nov. 28, 2019 at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge and it involved a 44-year-old female U.S. citizen from Mississippi who allegedly attempted to smuggle an 18-year-old man from Mexico. The adult woman and young man both presented a U.S. passport to the primary officer and a CBP officer referred them for further inspection due to inconsistencies detected during the initial inspection. Once in secondary, officers discovered that the U.S. passport did not belong to the young man and that he was in fact a Mexican citizen from Veracruz, Mexico without valid documents to legally enter or reside in the United States.

On Nov. 26, CBP officers at Hidalgo encountered a 30-year-old woman arriving from Mexico at the pedestrian walkway. The primary officer detected irregularities with the entry documents the woman presented and a secondary inspection resulted in officers discovering that the Mexican passport, U.S. visa and I-94 permit were all fraudulent.

The two adult women were arrested for alleged violations of U.S. immigration law and were presented before a U.S. federal magistrate on charges stemming from these violations. The young man was processed administratively and returned back to Mexico. 

For more information on the immigration inspection process, visit this link on CBP.gov, Immigration Inspection Program.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021