32 migrants intercepted on a bus in Las Cruces

a step.- El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Las Cruces Station checkpoint discovered 32 immigrants with incorrect documents Thursday.

On May 4, agents at a highway checkpoint conducted 25 immigration checks on a commercial bus. The agents found several people on board who had filed Notice of Action Form I-797C.

It was found that the people who submitted the forms had applied for immigration benefits online, but their application had not been finalized, and they had not been granted.

The investigation found that the people were assisted in obtaining the documents by individuals in El Paso, Texas.

All migrants were from Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia and were taken to the Central Processing Center for further registration.

Over the years, the El Paso Strip Border Patrol has witnessed various smuggling methods used by transnational criminal organizations. This includes false information given to immigrants and false documents.

According to USCIS, the Notice of Employment Form I-797C is only a receipt for the applicant that was filed with USCIS and is not a determination of whether the applicant qualifies for a

The benefit of immigration.

Too often, transnational criminal organizations use a lack of understanding of our immigration and asylum laws as an opportunity to take advantage of immigrants. These organizations exploit immigrants’ lack of understanding of the laws and falsely promise safe and easy travel to the United States.

“Smuggling organizations lie to immigrants who demand safe passage, which means the U.S. borders are open when they are not for illegal entry,” said Anthony Scott Judd, president of the El Paso Sector.

“We are focusing our efforts on applying consequences to those who enter the country illegally between the port of entry and we will also prosecute individuals who provide false documents to migrants as part of an illegal smuggling scheme.”

US Customs and Border Protection appreciates community help. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the US Border Patrol anonymously by calling 1-800-635-2509.