Customs and Border Protection officers at the Juarez Lincoln Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas, arrested several immigrants pretending to be U.S. citizens. Immigration fraudsters arrested earlier this month were found to be in possession of valid birth certificates that did not belong to them. In two other recent incidents, officials at the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry thwarted similar attempts by migrants who had failed to enter the United States using identification documents, whether fake or valid.
The first encounter occurred Friday as CBP officers were screening bus passengers arriving at the Laredo Bridge. The 35-year-old woman provided officers with three U.S. birth certificates for three minor children and one adult woman. Officers escorted the migrants and children to a secondary inspection area for further investigation.
Officers determined that the U.S. birth certificates were genuine, but after investigating and interviewing the immigrants, they determined that the immigrants were fraudsters. The woman and her children, a 7-year-old girl and two boys, 11 years old and 5 months old, were found to be Mexican nationals with no legal basis to enter the United States.
The same day, CBP officers screened passengers at the Laredo Bridge arriving at the port in a 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck. The officers were given a U.S. employment authorization card issued to the woman. A 48-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were in the car at the time of the inspection. Officers confirmed that the employment authorization card was genuine, but determined that the female passenger was a fraudster.
Officers determined that the female occupant of the vehicle was a Mexican national who had no legal basis to enter the United States. The two were arrested for violating immigration laws, and the car they were riding in was also impounded.
On Saturday, police officers screening arriving bus passengers directed them to a secondary screening point for further investigation. The 30-year-old male passenger wanted to enter the United States and showed officers his Texas ID. CBP said officers quickly determined the identification was fake.
The passenger was found to be in violation of U.S. immigration law, the false documents were confiscated, and the man was subsequently arrested.
In 2022, Customs and Border Protection noted an increase in immigration violations at multiple ports of entry in Texas. A September 2022 news release states that the most frequent violations seen at Texas ports of entry include “fraudsters using fraudulent or falsified immigration documents (using genuine immigration documents that are not theirs); , false claims of U.S. citizenship, and child smuggling.” / Falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to a minor traveling with you / Providing another person’s U.S. birth certificate. ”
According to CBP, these immigration violations can be prosecuted by the federal government and can lead to arrest, indictment, and incarceration. Immigrants who are convicted of immigration violations at a port of entry may also be deported from the United States upon final adjudication of their criminal case.
Randy Clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
