U.S. Customs and Border Protections officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office stopped an illegal crossing of a 10 year old boy through a southern Arizona port of entry Thursday. The boy from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico attempted to enter the United States through a pedestrian lane at the Dennis DeConcini Port, along with a 25-year-old Mexican woman when Customs and Border Protection officers referred them for additional questioning.
The boy presented crossing documents at the border that identified him as an eight-year-old which appeared fraudulent to the officer.
When the pair was separated, the boy told officers that he had travelled to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico with his grandmother and stayed in a local hotel in preparation for the crossing. The juvenile added that he was trying to cross in hopes of joining his mother, who is living in Miami. After contacting the mother and being told she could not come to pick him up, arrangements were made to transfer the youngster to a juvenile facility until he could have a hearing before an Immigration Judge.