A couple was apprehended in El Paso after officials alleged they attempted to smuggle two minors from Mexico by pretending to be their children and presenting fraudulent documents.
According to the US Department of Justice, on June 7, 39-year-old Abraham Romo-Rivera and 29-year-old Amairani Munoz-Molinar, both “Lawful Permanent Residents” of the United States but originally from Mexico, were apprehended after allegedly attempting to enter the country through the Downtown El Paso border bridge with two Mexican minors, claiming they were their children and presenting IDs that Customs and Border Protection officers said did not match.
In a press release, the DOJ stated that the pair were driving a vehicle with New Mexico licence plates and that one of the youngsters, a girl, repeatedly avoided displaying her face to CBP officials, a suspicious action that prompted the second inspection.
After officials discovered that the IDs did not match, they allegedly admitted that the IDs did not belong to them and that the two kids were from Mexico.
Furthermore, after investigating the vehicle, CBP officers discovered that Romo-Rivera was allegedly going to be paid $10,000 to smuggle the two minors into the country, and when officers patted down Munoz-Molinar, they allegedly discovered an envelope containing the children’s real papers, proving that they are Mexican citizens.
According to the DOJ, Romo-Rivera and Munoz-Molinar were charged with one count of “bringing in and harbouring aliens”.
According to the DOJ, if convicted, both individuals could face ten years in jail.
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