Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. USBP Helps Coordinate Rescue of Kidnapped Child

USBP Helps Coordinate Rescue of Kidnapped Child

Release Date
Fri, 05/28/2021

SAN DIEGO—U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector’s (SDC) Foreign Operations Branch (FOB) coordinated with the Government of Mexico (GOM) to rescue a kidnapped child.

According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), on May 4, 2021, a four-year-old United States citizen was kidnapped from an East Los Angeles location by his mother.

On May 5, 2021, LASD contacted San Diego Sector’s FOB for assistance in recovering the child.  FOB initiated contact with their GOM counterparts.  The Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) and the Guardia Estatal de Seguridad e Investigación (GESI) conducted surveillance patrols at transportation hubs and in the city streets in Tijuana, Mexico.

After weeks of investigative work by GoM, the child and mother were located and taken into custody in Tijuana.  FOB then coordinated with the CBP Office of Field Operations, INM, and GESI to turn them over to LASD at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and return the child to his legal guardians.

"This is a prime example of the binational coordination and cooperation between the Government of Mexico and our agency,” said U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke, "As a result of this joint effort, this child has been safely returned home.”

https://go.usa.gov/x6Cpc

Last Modified: May 28, 2021