On Feb. 17, agents working at the checkpoint near Tubac, Arizona, arrested a United States citizen when they discovered two Mexican nationals hidden inside the trunk of a Buick Century. The front passenger was also determined to be an undocumented alien. The driver will be prosecuted according to Tucson Sector guidelines. The undocumented passengers will face removal proceedings.
Later that evening, agents encountered a stolen 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix with several occupants. The Department of Public Safety responded and took custody of the vehicle and all occupants.
On the morning of Feb. 18, Nogales Station agents working at the I-19 checkpoint discovered three packages of heroin, worth an estimated $45,000, hidden in the under garments of a juvenile Mexican female in possession of a B1/B2 Visitor’s Visa. The young female was traveling on a local shuttle service to Tucson. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office took custody of the narcotics and the subject.
Immigration checkpoints are an effective and essential component of the Border Patrol’s border enforcement strategy. Checkpoints are critical to patrol efforts by denying smugglers access to major routes of egress from the border region during their attempts to move people, drugs and other contraband into the interior of the United States. The Border Patrol carefully selects checkpoint locations to maximize border enforcement and continuously evaluates these operations to ensure their effectiveness and do not pose an undo impact to law-abiding citizens.
Agents continue to diligently protect and secure America’s borders by accomplishing their mission within the context of the Fourth Amendment, U.S. search and seizure laws, and the judicial decisions that regulate checkpoint operations, including section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 USC § 1357), and United States v. Martinez-Fuerte, among others.