Border Patrol catch 325 migrants who sneaked in via unsecured Mexico barrier, after group lit fire

Border Patrol catch 325 migrants, including 32 unaccompanied CHILDREN, who sneaked through unsecured Mexico barrier after group lit campfire to cope with freezing temperatures

  • US Border Patrol said they stopped 325 Central Americans trying to illegally enter the country Thursday
  • A vehicle barrier between Mexico and Arizona couldn’t stop them entering
  • The group included 150 minors of which 32 were not accompanied by an adult 
  • Two children were taken to hospital with illnesses and doctors checked the rest 
  • The remainder were transported 15 miles away to be processed at a facility
  • CBP said there’s ‘limited infrastructure’ and ‘smugglers take advantage’
  • The number of groups apprehended crept up compared to the 2018 fiscal year 

US Border Patrol said they stopped 325 Central Americans trying to illegally enter the country Thursday, spotting them after they were alerted to campfire started to deal with freezing temperatures.

The huge group surrendered to agents assigned to the Ajo Station in Pima County, Arizona who learned they’d crossed via an area only blocked off by a vehicle barrier designed to stop pedestrians crossing the road.

But the bunch – including 150 minors of which 32 were not accompanied by an adult – got caught as a US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations helicopter scanned the area.

US Border Patrol said they stopped 325 Central Americans trying to illegally enter the country

The huge group surrendered to agents assigned to the Ajo Station in Pima County, Arizona Thursday, who learned they'd crossed via an area only blocked off by a vehicle barrier (left)

The huge group surrendered to agents assigned to the Ajo Station in Pima County, Arizona Thursday, who learned they’d crossed via an area only blocked off by a vehicle barrier (left)

CBP claimed two juveniles were sent to a local hospital for treatment. The children included five-year-old possibly suffering from chicken pox, and a 12-year-old with a skin infection.

Trained Department of Homeland Security medical staff, including a physician, screened the hundreds who had arrived in the area where CBP said had ‘limited infrastructure’ and ‘smugglers continue to take advantage’.

According to CBP, the group indicated buses and trucks dropped them off throughout Wednesday night on Mexico’s Federal Highway 2 that runs parallel and just 50 yards away from the US border.

The group included 150 minors of which 32 were not accompanied by an adult. Two children were taken to hospital with illnesses and doctors checked the rest

The group included 150 minors of which 32 were not accompanied by an adult. Two children were taken to hospital with illnesses and doctors checked the rest

CBP said they had 'limited infrastructure' and 'smugglers continue to take advantage'

CBP said they had ‘limited infrastructure’ and ‘smugglers continue to take advantage’

After they’d all arrived, they gathered to cross together at 8am and were busted by a surveillance camera.

The arrival of the large group meant agents patrolling other areas were reassigned to provide security, care, and transportation for next several hours.

Vehicles took the group more than 15 miles through the so another set of buses could take them to the nearest Border Patrol facility to be properly processed.

The same unsecured Tucson Sector area has seen the arrival of three separate groups totaling more than 650 people apprehended over the past year. 

CBP said the number of groups apprehended had crept up compared to the 2018 fiscal year

CBP said the number of groups apprehended had crept up compared to the 2018 fiscal year

CBP said in a statement: ‘Illicit transnational criminal organizations exploit the vulnerability of foreign nationals with false promises of legal status and encourage dangerous border crossings, placing lives at risk.’ 

They said the number of groups apprehended had crept up vastly compared to the 2018 fiscal year. 

‘January border stats show a sustained, high volume of families & unaccompanied children from Central America illegally crossing along the SW Border,’ a tweet read. ‘#USBP agents encountered 58 large groups (100+ people) so far this FY compared to 13 in FY18.’ 

Meanwhile authorities said Saturday that a 21-year-old US citizen shot and wounded by a US Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry was in critical condition in an Arizona hospital. 

The man was shot that night in Nogales, Arizona when he accelerated his pickup truck driving toward Mexico. It was while he was being questioned by agents figured out the vehicle had a license plate for a different vehicle.

The truck crossed a few yards into Mexico and hit a concrete barrier. A passenger was in the pick-up but was not injured and was released by Mexican authorities. The officer who shot the man – whose name has not been released – was also not hurt.

The man’s identity wasn’t released. He was initially taken to hospital in Nogales, Mexico.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk