Texas Border Patrol arrests 8 migrants posing as unaccompanied minors 

Texas Border Patrol agents apprehended at least eight undocumented migrants last week who had posed as unaccompanied minors to avoid deportation, according to a statement from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Officers at the El Paso Station and Ysleta Station intercepted three separate groups of undocumented migrants on August 16 and 17, which had adults posing as children. 

The first group, encountered at El Paso Station on August 16, was made up of 13 migrants, including three Guatemalans aged 21 to 22, two females and one male, who had posed as children and attempted to blend in and avoid expulsion. The rest of the group was made up of unaccompanied children and one adult, according to the CBP. 

The next day, border patrol agents found three males from Guatemala intentionally posing as minors. The three individuals—26 years old, 25 years old, and 18 years old—had joined a group of nine undocumented migrants that had crossed the border. 

When the group was intercepted and questioned, the agents found discrepancies between their story and the documentation they presented. 

The same day at the Ysleta Station, border patrol agents intercepted a group of eight unaccompanied minors from Guatemala. Two migrants from this group, a 22-year-old male and a 19-year-old female, were discovered posing as minors after agents conducted the interview process. 

“Transnational Criminal Organizations exploit migrants convincing them to pose as minors in order to be processed as such,” said El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Gloria I. Chavez. “Identity fraud is a common tactic used by TCOs to take advantage of migrants who do not know the legal consequences of their actions as they attempt to deceive authorities.”

“Individuals who attempt to pose as unaccompanied children may face charges under 18 USC 1001 (False Statements to Federal Agents) and 18 USC 371 (Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S.) among other charges for illegally entering the United States. Penalties can include fines and imprisonment,” the CBP said in the statement. 

So far in the fiscal year 2022, El Paso Border Patrol has intercepted more than 665 adults posing as unaccompanied minors in order to remain in the U.S.