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Immigration enforcement officials warn migrants against illegally crossing into country by train
A photo shows a Mexican man after he was found allegedly trying to illegally cross into the U.S. by hiding in a train.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a warning for people looking to illegally get into the United States by train: “It is not worth the risk.”
Not only is it against the law, officials said, it can lead to injury.
The warning came after Border Protection officers assigned to rail operations on Friday arrested a Mexican man allegedly trying to cross into the U.S. in a Union Pacific Railroad car in El Paso, CBP spokesperson Landon Hutchens said in a news release.
The man was charged with illegal entry after removal.
During a search of a northbound train, officers found the man hiding in a “hollow space at the end of an empty hopper,” Hutchens said. After being arrested, officers learned he was previously arrested and deported.
“Attempting to enter the United States without inspection via a cargo train is not only illegal, but it is also very dangerous,” said Samuel Cleaves, CBP El Paso Field Office assistant director for border security, in a statement. “Aliens attempting to board moving trains sometimes slip and have limbs severed. As temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the risk of death from heat stroke or dehydration increases.
“Also, cargo can shift and injure or trap aliens. Finally, when discovered, the alien will face certain consequences for illegally entering the United States under Title 8 of the U.S. Code. It is not worth the risk.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection have arrested 43 people trying to illegally enter the U.S. on trains in fiscal year 2024-25, Hutchens said. In fiscal year 2023-24, he said, 143 people were arrested for the same thing.
