21 Arrested at Port of Entry

C.B.P. News Release

CBP Arrests 21 for Alleged Violations of Immigration Law at Laredo Port of Entry

(Monday, April 12, 2010)

Laredo, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Laredo port of entry processed 21 enforcement actions involving various alleged violations of immigration law over the weekend at the Laredo port of entry.

The 21 cases of alleged immigration law violations occurred this past weekend and involved persons that were suspected of presenting counterfeit documents, for imposters to border crossing cards, imposters to legal permanent resident cards, and persons allegedly claiming U.S. citizenship with false documents.

One of the incidents occurred on Saturday, April 10 at the Lincoln Juarez Bridge when a 30-year-old male passenger of a commercial bus applied for admission to enter the United States. At inspection, the subject allegedly presented a Mexican Passport, Visa, and I-94 travel permit. The inspecting CBP officer noted several discrepancies with the entry documents and referred the subject for a secondary inspection. CBP officers examined the documents in secondary and concluded that they were counterfeit. After a thorough investigation, the subject was allegedly determined to be a Mexican citizen born in the State of Guerrero, Mexico. CBP officers seized the documents presented. A criminal complaint has been filed against the subject in federal court charging him with illegal attempted entry by presenting fraudulent documents.

“Our CBP officers’ ability to detect fake documents and prevent suspected immigration law violators from entering our country is attributed to their training which is vital and allows them to perform their inspectional duties and support our CBP mission,â€