U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents thwarted an attempted smuggling incident with an unaccompanied migrant child in Yuma on April 29, ICE officials announced Monday.
U.S. border officials apprehended a woman attempting to smuggle a 5-year-old boy — identified as “John Doe” in the legal complaint — after the child’s mother allegedly paid a smuggler to transport him illegally into the United States.
CBP worked with the Mexican Consulate to find the child’s mother, a 24-year-old woman living in Veracruz, Mexico, who presented herself at the San Luis Port of Entry later that night to recover her child.
The mother claimed the smuggler coordinated with the child’s father to drop off the little boy. However, the child told investigators he was being taken to live with a man he didn’t know.
In a released statement, Francisco Burrola, ICE Homeland Security Investigation Arizona Special Agent in Charge, said “the smuggling of unaccompanied alien children is among the most vile and inhumane crimes imaginable. Even more vile, in this case the child’s own mother handed him over to strangers—mules—who attempted to smuggle him into the U.S. using fake identity documents. The woman posing as his guardian also admitted she was going to leave him with a man she didn’t know. It’s horrifying, heartbreaking and a stark reminder of why HSI aggressively pursues these criminals and the networks that enable them.”
During an interview with ICE HSI special agents, the boy’s mother also revealed that she paid the smuggler, Gloria Lopez Corona, to bring her child to the United States — and that she intended to illegally enter the U.S. on April 30 to join her husband, the child’s father, who is an undocumented migrant with a prior history of illegally entering the U.S.
ICE HSI officials said agents take swift action to investigate any criminal activity related to unaccompanied migrant children. This includes investigating the exploitive smuggling networks that bring unaccompanied children to the United States and criminals who may exploit these at-risk youths in the United States.
“The mother and father in this case are actively violating U.S. border laws and undermining our nation’s security,” Burrola said. “The father has been deported three times previously and now both parents have endangered their young child by paying smugglers to facilitate illegal entry. Criminal smuggling networks have no regard for human life and trusting them with a child is both reckless and tragic.”
ICE HSI officials said agents combat human smuggling by working with its law enforcement partners to deter, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks that engage in it. Special agents use their expertise and rely on HSI’s authorities to seize assets and eliminate profit incentives, work with nongovernmental organizations to protect and assist victims and bring traffickers to justice.
If you suspect someone may be involved in or a victim of human smuggling or trafficking contact local law enforcement, dial 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE.