Group of 170 Migrants Dug Under Arizona Border Fence, Say Feds

Border Patrol agents in Arizona continue to deal with “large” migrant groups exploiting weaknesses in outdated border technology to illegally enter the U.S. Most recently, human smugglers coordinated the border crossing by a group of more than 170 who dug under a portion of a barrier in the Yuma Sector.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol officials tweeted a video on Monday showing a group of 171 migrants digging under an outdated section of border fencing to enter the controlled space between barriers on U.S. soil. The migrants can be seen rushing toward the first Border Patrol agents they can find to surrender and most likely, make requests for asylum.

Border Patrol officials said human smugglers coordinated the illegal border crossing.

In the Tucson Sector, Ajo Station agents operating surveillance equipment on Sunday, observed a group of men cutting the wire mesh fence that separates Arizona from Mexico in this region. Two men crawled through the opening and dashed toward an awaiting vehicle. One of the men jumped into a Dodge SUV which sped away before the second migrant could get in, according to information obtained from Tucson Sector Border Patrol officials.

The camera operators contacted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrew to intercept and follow the SUV as it headed north toward the State Route 85 immigration checkpoint.

The vehicle reached the checkpoint and Border Patrol agents conducted an immigration interview. The agents learned the driver (a 36-year-old female) and front seat passenger (a 32-year-old male) were U.S. citizens. The rear passenger allegedly attempted to utilize fraudulent immigration documents to claim legal presence in the U.S. The agents later confirmed the 40-year-old Mexican national was illegally present.

The agents arrested the driver and front seat passenger who will face federal human smuggling charges. The Mexican man will be processed for immigration violations according to Tucson Sector guidelines.