MEXICO ( A woman was arrested while trying to smuggle eight undocumented minors into U.S )

Mexican Authorities Arrest Migrant-Trafficker

MEXICO CITY – A woman was arrested while trying to smuggle eight undocumented Honduran minors into the United States, Mexico’s INM immigration agency said Wednesday.

The suspect, Cristela Angelina Garcia Murillo, 45, was detained by INM agents as a result of spot-checks on buses in the northern border state of Chihuahua, the agency said in a statement.

Agents detected the minors as they traveled on two different buses headed toward the U.S. border.

The minors, ranging in age from 8 to 17, initially claimed to be traveling alone, but later identified Garcia Murillo as their guide and said relatives in Honduras had commissioned her to take them to the United States, the INM said.

Garcia Murillo took away their Honduran identifications and provided them with Mexican IDs, the minors told the agents.

The children said their parents were waiting for them in the United States.

Testimony from Honduran minors intercepted in previous operations indicates Garcia Murillo has been in the migrant-trafficking business since at least 2011, the INM said.

Steps are being taken to safely return the eight minors to Honduras, the agency said.

Every year, tens of thousands of Central Americans undertake the journey across Mexico to reach the United States. The trek is a dangerous one, with criminals and corrupt Mexican officials preying on the migrants.

Gangs kidnap, exploit and murder migrants, who are often targeted in extortion schemes, Mexican officials say. EFE