PHOENIX — U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Cuban asylum seeker accused of smuggling two women into Arizona, according to a Thursday announcement.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), agents working on the Ajo Highway southwest of Tucson saw a Hyundai Accent exit an area on April 27 often used by human smugglers.
During the stop, agents learned the two people riding in the sedan, a 29-year-old Mexican woman and a 30-year-old Uzbekistani woman, were in the country illegally.
The Cuban driver, a 33-year-old man, also did not have legal documentation, and all three were arrested. Additionally, the car they were in was seized.
Previous arrests for Cuban asylum seeker, Mexican woman
The Cuban man had previously been arrested near Brownsville, Texas, in 2023, according to CBP. He was released pending an immigration hearing, as he feared persecution in his home country at the time.
If he’s convicted of the smuggling crimes, he could face removal and a lifetime ban from the country.
The two women could face deportation from the country, pending the decision of an immigration judge. The Mexican woman had been removed multiple times already, according to CPB.
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