Mexican teen found stuffed in car's dashboard compartment trying to cross border
A 17-year-old Mexican teen is discovered stuffed inside a dashboard compartment of a vehicle attempting to cross at Calexico West port. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
CALEXICO, Calif. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting a physical search of a vehicle entering the Calexico West port discovered a teenager hiding inside a dashboard compartment.
CBP officers extracted the 17-year-old Mexican teen and took him to a secure location for a medical check and further processing, the Customs and Border Protection Department said.
A 17-year-old Mexican teen is discovered stuffed inside a dashboard compartment of a vehicle attempting to cross at Calexico West port. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The incident happened on Nov. 25 at about 8:30 a.m. when a 28-year-old man and his 21-year-old male passenger entered the Calexico West port driving a 2001 Ford Taurus.
During the investigation, authorities discovered the teen had been detained in March 2019 while attempting to illegally enter the U.S. at the Otay Mesa port of entry using a document that did not legally belong to him, according to officials.
A 17-year-old Mexican teen is discovered stuffed inside a dashboard compartment of a vehicle attempting to cross at Calexico West port. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
“Smuggling a person in a confined space is dangerous and can have serious consequences,” said Officer in Charge Sergio Beltran. “In this instance, no one was seriously injured during this attempted illegal entry.”
The driver and passenger of the Ford Taurus were arrested and taken to Imperial County Jail to await criminal proceedings. Authorities said both individuals are U.S. citizens.
This story was reported from Los Angeles