(Image Credit: IMAGN) FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers carried out a series of enforcement operations in Los Angeles in late-February, 2025.
Westmorland, CA — Two American women were arrested earlier this week at an immigration checkpoint in California after U.S. Border Patrol agents determined they were allegedly attempting to smuggle two young girls into the United States, officials announced Thursday.
According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the arrests occurred Tuesday at a checkpoint on Highway 86 near Westmorland. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector stopped a vehicle in which one woman was driving and another was in the front passenger seat. In the backseat, agents found two girls, ages 10 and 12, asleep.
Initially, the driver told authorities the group was traveling from Arizona to California. However, during further questioning, she admitted they had entered the U.S. from Mexico through the San Luis Port of Entry. The conflicting statements led agents from the Indio Station to refer the vehicle for a secondary inspection.
During the inspection, agents discovered that the photos and names on the girls’ ID cards did not match their identities. Further investigation revealed the children were not related to either woman and that the driver did not know their mother. The girls were later identified as unaccompanied minors from Mexico.
“This is how the trafficking of children starts,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino of the El Centro Sector. “It’s almost unbearable to think about what heinous crimes await children who aren’t with their parents.”
Bovino added that while this type of activity has been common in recent years, law enforcement agencies are now placing greater focus on such cases, with harsh penalties awaiting those who exploit children.
Both women have been charged with alien smuggling. The vehicle they were traveling in has been seized as evidence.
