YUMA – In less than 24 hours, Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents thwarted two human smuggling attempts and arrested 16 people at separate immigration checkpoints Sunday and Monday.
A U.S. citizen driver and a lawful permanent resident passenger were arrested for human smuggling charges.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at approximately 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Blythe Station agents referred the seven occupants of a white Ford Expedition to the secondary inspection area for additional questioning. Five of the individuals were determined to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.
In the second event, at 1:30 a.m. on Monday, Border Patrol agents at the Wellton Station referred a Dodge Ram wagon to the secondary inspection area. After questioning, agents determined seven of the vehicle’s nine occupants were illegally present in the United States.
All 12 illegal aliens were arrested for immigration violations.