A 14-year-old girl was rescued at El Paso's Bridge of the Americas last Sunday, after federal officers say a 34-year-old man was trying to take her across the border against her will. The girl's mother had no idea where her daughter was, and authorities now say the man accused of trying to kidnap her has ties to a Mexican cartel.
Federal officials encountered the man at the Bridge of the Americas, commonly known as BOTA, on October 11, according to KVIA. He allegedly traveled with the 14-year-old on a bus bound for Mexico, and authorities arrested him at the bridge, per the Office of Field Operations Port of El Paso. The girl's mother did not know her daughter's whereabouts and believed she was being taken to Mexico against her will, the Office of Field Operations said.
The arrest happened during a joint operation at the bridge involving CBP's El Paso Mobile Enforcement Team and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, the same report noted. The Office of Field Operations did not publicly identify the man, but accused him of having ties to a Mexican cartel. A separate account from KFOX14 described the suspect as a 34-year-old Mexican man and said the girl was rescued after authorities believed she was being taken against her will.
Child Exploitation Charge Added to the Case
Federal officials also charged the man with knowingly possessing or accessing sexually explicit content of a minor, according to the station's report. KFOX14 similarly reported that the suspect was arrested and charged with having child pornography. KVIA reported that officials issued an arrest warrant and a notice to appear and that removal proceedings are pending; KFOX14 reported the suspect is subject to removal from the country.
Part of a Busy Stretch at the Border
A separate 2022 Border Report account of a July 9 arrest cited 18 fugitive apprehensions by area officers over three days. The outlet's reporting on border crossings has also detailed other cases involving child sexual assault allegations at the same crossing point. In one, CBP officers at the Bridge of the Americas found a 47-year-old Mexican citizen arriving from Mexico on July 9 who had an outstanding California warrant for sexual assault of a child, Border Report reported.
In that July case, biometric verification confirmed the man's identity along with the active warrant out of the Sacramento Police Department, according to Border Report. CBP arrested him and turned him over to local authorities pending extradition to California, the outlet noted. The two cases at the Bridge of the Americas unfolded under their own set of circumstances.
No additional details about the suspect's identity, the girl's relationship to him, or the specifics of how the alleged kidnapping attempt began have been made public. The procedural status of the pending removal proceedings also remains unclear. Federal officials have not released further information beyond the charge of knowingly possessing or accessing sexually explicit content of a minor and the pending notice to appear.
