BROWNSVILLE, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge this weekend intercepted a woman for alleged violations of immigration law. The United States citizen allegedly attempted to facilitate the entry of a two-year-old child into the United States without valid entry documents.
“This alleged smuggling attempt of a two-year-old child into the country has been stopped by our CBP officers working at our country’s borders. The child was returned to Mexico and the alleged smuggler will face federal charges,” said David Moreno, CBP acting Port Director, Brownsville.
On Sunday, June 1, at the Gateway International Bridge a 22-year-old female, United States citizen who resides in Birmingham, Ala. and a two-year-old child applied for admission to enter the United States. The 22-year-old woman presented U.S. birth certificates for herself and the two-year-old child as their entry documents. A CBP officer’s primary inspection resulted in the vehicle’s occupants being referred to CBP secondary for further inspection and review of entry documents presented. In passport control secondary, CBP officers reviewed the birth certificates presented by the adult. CBP officers further determined the two-year-old female child is a Mexican citizen and has no legal documents to enter or reside in the United States.
CBP officers took the adult female into custody for alleged violations of immigration law. The two-year-old female child was processed, turned over to her mother and returned to Mexico.
CBP Field Operations at Brownsville Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.