EL PASO, Texas — Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso and U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued a 4-year-old girl from Guatemala and an infant Nov. 8 who smugglers separated from their parents.
HSI Ciudad Juarez and Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the investigation.
“Two innocent children are out of harm’s way today because of the swift joint effort among HSI and our law enforcement partners without which this story could have had a much different, and possibly, tragic ending,” said HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens. “Human smugglers put the lives of migrants in peril for the sake of greed, and this case is a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of the journey of people who entrust their lives and those of their loved ones to them.”
“We are relieved and overjoyed after the successful rescue of a missing child who was separated from her mother during an illegal smuggling attempt into the country,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent A. Scott Good. “Our dedicated agents and HSI law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to locate the infant and reunite her with her mother. This reunification is a powerful reminder of the importance to protect vulnerable individuals from smugglers exploitation, as we remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our border communities.”
Authorities apprehended Jenneyra Escamilla-Juarez, 26, a legal U.S. resident, and charged her with human smuggling. She was initialed in federal court Nov. 12 and remains in custody. Her preliminary and detention hearing is set for Nov. 15.
On Nov. 7, HSI special agents received information that members of a transnational criminal organization had separated a mother from her child before they were smuggled separately into the United States. The young girl was smuggled through one of the area ports of entry. Border Patrol agents encountered the mother after she had entered the country illegally.
An HSI investigation revealed a possible location for the young girl, and Border Patrol agents encountered the vehicle in which she was riding near the Las Cruces, New Mexico, Border Patrol checkpoint on I-25. Border Patrol agents also discovered an infant, about 6 weeks old, in the vehicle, and HSI El Paso is working with the Mexican Consulate to locate his parents. The mother and daughter were reunited on Nov. 8.