U.S. CBP apprehends 29 people attempting to illegally enter U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected 29 people who tried illegally entering the U.S. on a southbound train from Canada in the early morning of August 31.

CBP officers detected the people around 2:30 a.m. at the Peace Arch Port of Entry using the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS), U.S. CBP spokesperson Jason Givens wrote in an email to The Northern Light. VACIS provides X-ray scans of railcars for contraband and human smuggling. 

CBP officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents, with the help of Homeland Security Investigations agents, apprehended and processed the 29 people, Givens said. Rosario Pete Vasquez, chief patrol agent for U.S. Border Patrol’s Blaine sector, wrote on Twitter that 28 Mexican citizens and one Colombian citizen were found in the freight train.

Since last November, CBP has detected seven human smuggling attempts involving 61 people total on trains entering Blaine, Givens said. Of those attempting to enter, 52 were Mexican citizens, seven Romanian citizens and two Colombian citizens.