LORDSBURG, New Mexico – Border Patrol Agents in New Mexico encountered a large group of undocumented immigrants allegedly smuggled into the U.S.
The group, consisting of 247 people, turned itself in to authorities near the Antelope Wells Port of Entry just after midnight on Wednesday, January 16, 2019.
The Border Patrol said the majority of individuals in the group are from Central America.
After they turned themselves in, the group immediately claimed the need for medical care.
The group included family groups with small children as well as teenagers without a parent or guardian.
“Since the start of fiscal year 2019, criminal organizations are responsible for at least 24 large groups of illegal aliens that have been trafficked in the Lordsburg area,” the Border Patrol said in a news release, “Unscrupulous organized smugglers are exploiting the area and the proximity to the border to move large groups of people.”
The Border Patrol said the groups of undocumented migrants are told where to cross and turn themselves in to authorities.
The area where this group was taken into custody is the same area where a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died in Border Patrol custody. The girl and her father entered the U.S. not far from the Antelope Wells Port of Entry.
Written for KVIA ~ ABC News ~ January 16, 2019.