A 46-year-old Syrian man has been detained for attempting to enter the United States from Mexico illegally by hiding in a train, border protection agents say.
Customs and Border Protection officials report agents apprehended the man last weekend, after a train from Mexico passed through an imaging system at the downtown Calexico port screening center in southern California. “CPB officers noticed an anomaly on the lower side of the commercial railcar,” leading to the compartment on the outside of the train where the man was hiding.
The man was taken to a secure location, where officials confirmed, partly through fingerprinting, that he is a Syrian national without documentation authorizing his entry into the United States.
“This apprehension highlights the fact that none of our inspections are routine, especially when people purposely attempt to avoid the process,” port director David Salazar said in a statement Wednesday. “CBP puts a lot of effort in identifying, vetting and prosecuting people who just don’t want to abide by the legal process of entering our country.”
The Syrian national was sent to Imperial County jail and charged with attempting to enter the country illegally. He is set to remain in jail while he awaits trial.
CBP said Calexico agents have “apprehended 12 percent more illegal aliens in fiscal year 2019 compared to the same timeframe in fiscal year 2018 attempting to enter the country hidden in trains.” The agency noted that many of those arrested are criminals coming from South America’s Northern Triangle region.
President Trump said Tuesday that he would look into closing the southern border if he cannot get a comprehensive immigration reform package from Congress that includes full funding for a border wall.
“Mexico is now stopping people coming in,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Let’s see if they keep it up. If they don’t or if we don’t make a deal with Congress, the border’s going to be closed. A hundred percent.”
