(Monday, November 08, 2010)
El Paso, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at El Paso area ports of entry recorded a wide variety of enforcement actions during a busy weekend. CBP officers made numerous fugitive apprehensions, stopped drug smuggling attempts, uncovered immigrations violations, and located prohibited agriculture items while inspecting inbound and outbound traffic at area border crossings. CBP officers also rendered first aid to a woman who delivered a baby at port of entry restroom
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“CBP
officers remain committed to enforcing the laws of the United States
while they execute their primary homeland security mission at our area
ports,” said Ana Hinojosa, CBP Director of Field Operations in El Paso.
“CBP employees take pride in knowing they are doing their part to keep
the communities where they work and live as safe as possible.”
CBP
officers working at area ports made a total of 10 fugitive
apprehensions during the three day period including a 60-year-old
Horizon City (Texas) man who was being sought on an outstanding warrant
for indecency with child – sexual contact. CBP officers arrested
Humberto Estrada Pimental shortly after noon Saturday at the Ysleta
international crossing. After confirming his warrant information he was
turned over to the El Paso County Sherriff’s Office and booked into the
El Paso County Jail.
CBP officers
working at area ports of entry seized 923 pounds of marijuana in five
incidents. The largest drug bust of the weekend occurred Sunday
afternoon at the Columbus port of entry. CBP officers discovered 551
pounds of marijuana hidden in the floorboard of 2004 Ford Expedition
that entered the port from Mexico. The car was driven by a 22-year-old
Colorado woman who was traveling with her 1 ½ year-old son.
CBP
officers arrested Vanessa Fuller of Aurora, Colorado. She was turned
over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents to
face federal drug smuggling charges. Her son was turned over to
representatives of the New Mexico Department of Child Protective
Services.
During the previous three
days area CBP officers uncovered 55 immigration violations. Intended
immigrants made up a large group of the violators. A total of 23 were
identified through thorough document exams. In these cases individuals
will use a legally issued border-crossing card (laser visa) to live or
work in the U.S., which is not authorized. Violators generally lose
their documents and are returned to Mexico.
CBP
officers this weekend also identified 10 imposters while performing
inspections at area ports. Imposters generally will use a legitimate
entry document assigned to another person and present it as their own.
CBP officers also recorded 22 cases of people making false claims to
U.S. citizenship, people attempting to enter with counterfeit or altered
documents, and stopping those who previously entered the country
illegally.
CBP agriculture specialists
working at area ports made nine seizures of prohibited food and
agricultural items this weekend, resulting in $2,100 in fines being
assessed. Prohibited items seized this weekend included pork, bologna,
guavas, sugar cane, tangerines, apples, peaches, live plants and cotton
seeds.
At approximately 2 p.m. Sunday,
CBP officers at the Bridge of the Americas international crossing were
summoned by janitorial staff who heard a woman screaming in a public
restroom. A CBP officer entered and found a woman in the process of
giving birth. The CBP officer radioed for assistance however the woman
had already delivered a baby girl. CBP officers provided first aid until
EMS arrived to assist and transport the 22-year-old woman and her baby
to University Medical Center.
While
anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with
this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in
all categories.
U.S.
Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the
Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and
protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of
entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out
of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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