SUNLAND PARK, N.M. – U.S. Border Patrol agents working near Sunland Park apprehend 180 illegal aliens in the early morning hours of February 26. This group, like many others before, is comprised primarily of Central American families and unaccompanied juveniles.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested the illegal border crossers for violating the immigration laws of this country. Border Patrol EMT’s conducted initial medical screenings and determined that some of the subjects required additional attention. Sunland Park Emergency Medical Service responded to the scene where they provided medical attention and determined that some of the illegal aliens needed further medical treatment. Those in need of further medical attention were transported to a local hospital.
This is a situation that Border Patrol Agents continue to face in southern New Mexico: hundreds of parents and children being encountered by agents after having faced a dangerous journey in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers. This is the second group of more than 100 people since the beginning of the fiscal year in the Sunland Park area. Similar large groups are being encountered at other border locations in the El Paso Sector.
Criminal organizations continue to exploit the immigration system in order to enhance their illicit activities without due regard to the risks of human life. In most cases these smugglers never cross the border themselves in order to avoid apprehension.