Their lawyers say it's often for humanitarian reasons, not cash

Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. – Using stylish looks, trendy clothes and other people's visas, an increasing number of young women are smuggling children across the border.

An average of three women a week are being arrested at the Nogales port of entry on charges of pretending that immigrant children are their family members, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Roger Maier.

Because of increased border security, it's harder for fathers living illegally in the United States to return to Mexico, which has led more of them to try to bring their families to live here.

In 39 federal court complaints filed in Tucson since January, American women under 30 years old were arrested trying to smuggle children across the border.

And because the crime involves bringing someone into the United States rather than being caught inside the country, the mandatory sentence is far higher, said Lynette Kimmins, the criminal division chief for the U.S. attorney's office in Tucson.

Under standard plea bargains, getting caught in the United States transporting six to 24 illegal entrants can lead to four to 10 months behind bars, while getting caught at the port garners a stiffer sentence of 15 to 21 months in prison, Ms. Kimmins said.

Court records show a hefty profit in some of the cases, as much as $1,000 to bring a child from Nogales, in Sonora state, to Phoenix, a three-hour drive. Adults by comparison pay about $1,500 for the same trip but could take two days to reach the city because they hike through the desert until they reach the highway before heading to Phoenix.

Many other female smugglers were caught smuggling children into the United States for free or for as little as $50, records show. Their lawyers say many of them are illegally bringing children into the United States for humanitarian reasons, not cash.

"So long as the families need to be together, this will continue," said Saji Vettiyil, a criminal defense lawyer in Nogales, Ariz.