EL PASO, Texas— Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso and US Border Patrol agents rescued a 4-year-old Guatemalan girl and a newborn who had been separated from their parents by smugglers, according to a news release issued on Wednesday, November 13.
On November 7, HSI agents learned that a transnational criminal organization had separated a mother and her child before smuggling them separately into the United States.
According to HSI, the four-year-old girl was smuggled via one of the area’s ports of entry, and Border Patrol officials encountered her mother after she unlawfully entered the nation.
An investigation by the HSI led to the discovery of a likely location for the child, and Border Patrol officials stopped a car she was driving near the Las Cruces Border Patrol checkpoint on I-25, according to the agency.
Border Patrol agents also located a 6-week-old baby in the truck, and HSI El Paso is assisting the Mexican Consulate in locating his parents, according to HSI.
The mother and daughter were reunited on November 8.
The alleged smuggler, Jenneyra Escamilla-Juarez, 26, was captured and charged with human smuggling, according to HSI.
According to the HSI, Escamilla-Juarez, a legal US resident, was initialed in federal court on Tuesday, November 12, and is still in jail. Her preliminary and detention hearing is scheduled for Friday, November 15.
“Two innocent children are safe today thanks to the quick collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners, without which this story could have turned out very differently, and possibly tragically,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI El Paso Jason T. Stevens. “Human smugglers put the lives of migrants in peril for the sake of greed, and this case is a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of the journey of people who entrust their lives and those of their loved ones to them.”
“We are relieved and overjoyed after the successful rescue of a missing child who was separated from her mother during an illegal smuggling attempt into the country,” El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent A. Scott Good stated. “Our diligent agents and HSI law enforcement partners worked relentlessly to find and reunite the infant with her mother. This reunification is a strong reminder of the necessity of protecting vulnerable persons from smuggler exploitation, as we continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our border communities.”
According to HSI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and HSI Ciudad Juarez both aided with the investigation.
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