Suspect endangers own child in smuggling attempt

Although the child was in a car seat and was not harmed, a woman trying to smuggle three illegal aliens put her 1-year-old child in danger Thursday night while trying to avoid being arrested by the Yuma Sector Border Patrol, agents said.

According to agent Shaun Kuzia, a spokesman for the Yuma Sector, at about 5 p.m. agents responded to an illegal alien smuggling attempt near County 11th Street and the Colorado River.

Kuzia said Yuma Sector Communications Center personnel were monitoring the area using the remote video surveillance system, when they observed four subjects illegally cross the international boundary in that vicinity.

The Communications Center personnel, Kuzia said, notified Border Patrol agents in the field and informed them that the subjects were seen running east, away from the border.

Kuzia said as Border Patrol agents closed in on the group, one of the four illegal aliens turned around and ran back into Mexico.

The remaining three, Kuzia said, got into a dark colored Honda Accord, which sped away from the agents toward Avenue G.

After a series of erratic maneuvers, Kuzia said the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove it into an agricultural field near the intersection of County 11th Street and Avenue G, nearly colliding head-on with another motorist.

Responding agents arrested the driver and three illegal aliens. Kuzia said one illegal alien, who is eight months pregnant, complained of severe abdominal pains and was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center.

The rest of the group was transported to the Yuma Station for further processing. The driver is subject to prosecution for alien smuggling and the three illegal aliens will be processed for deportation.

Kuzia said Thursday's incident highlights smuggling organizations’ callous disregard for the safety of not only the persons they smuggle, but also that of the residents of the communities in which they operate.

In this case, Kuzia said the driver not only put the passengers’ lives in danger, including her own 1-year-old daughter, but she also nearly collided with an innocent motorist on Avenue G. The child was secured in a child’s seat and was not harmed.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.