Sisters rescued from immigrant smugglers
Article Launched: 06/29/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

Two young girls from El Salvador were rescued Thursday from immigrant smugglers who held them in Juárez for a week to extract money from their mother in El Paso, Juárez police said.
The girls, ages 7 and 12, were healthy. They said that they had been headed for Florida with their mother to be reunited with their father. Their smuggler crossed the mother into El Paso first and then asked her for money to get her daughters back. The woman was then caught by the Border Patrol and asked for help.

U.S. officials contacted Mexican officials, who called Juárez police. Police officials said they were able to persuade the smugglers by phone to drop off the girls at a street corner. No arrests were made. The girls were expected to be reunited with their mother in Juárez and deported to El Salvador, Juárez police said.

Louie Gilot

http://www.elpasotimes.com/breakingnews/ci_6256467