EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping two migrant children on Wednesday, May 29 north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, according to a news release sent by the New Mexico State Police (NMSP).
A NMSP officer was patrolling on Interstate 25 near milepost 17 on May 29. The officer saw an SUV and the passengers in the backseat were not wearing a seatbelt, according to NMSP.
A traffic stop was initiated and the driver, Saul Rojas Villa, 40, pulled over.
NMSP said that during the traffic stop, the officer discovered 11 migrants in the SUV and a five and 11-year-old children in the cargo area.
Antonio Guerra Garcia, 23, claimed to be the uncle of the two children, but after further investigation, it was learned he had no relation to the children, according to NMSP.
NMSP said officers learned that the mother of the children had paid the men to transport the children across the border, and then have them turn themselves into Border Patrol agents in El Paso.
The two men did not allow the children to turn themselves in and continued driving north pass the border.
The migrants, including the two children, were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents and transported to El Paso, according to NMSP.
NMSP said the children will be reunited with their mother, who lives in Mississippi, once proof of guardianship is provided.
The Dona Ana District Attorney was contacted and approved charging Rojas Villa and Guerra Garcia with kidnapping and child abuse, according to NMSP. They were both booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
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