4-year-old Guatemalan girl, 6-week-old baby rescued from smugglers in Las Cruces

Authorities rescued a four-year-old Guatemalan girl and a six-week-old baby from human smugglers in Las Cruces.

According to Homeland Security Investigations, on Friday, Nov. 8, HSI and Border Patrol agents intercepted a vehicle near the I-25 checkpoint, discovering the girl and the baby, both reportedly being smuggled separately from their parents.

HSI said it made the discovery after receiving a tip the day before, regarding a transnational criminal organization separating a mother from her child before smuggling them into the country.

The four-year-old girl was reunited with her mother that very same day.

HSI El Paso and the Mexican Consulate are reportedly working together to find the parents of the six-week-old baby.

U.S. resident, 26-year-old Jenneyra Escamilla-Juarez was arrested in connection with the case and charged with human smuggling.

Escamilla-Juarez remains in law enforcement custody and has a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15.

HSI Ciudad Juarez and the Texas Department of Public Safety are also credited with helping with the investigation.

Regarding the rescue, law enforcement officials released statements calling the operation a "successful rescue" and condemning human smugglers for putting people's lives at risk "for the sake of greed."

HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens wrote:

Two innocent children are out of harm's way today because of the swift joint effort among HSI and our law enforcement partners without which this story could have had a much different, and possibly, tragic ending. Human smugglers put the lives of migrants in peril for the sake of greed, and this case is a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of the journey of people who entrust their lives and those of their loved ones to them.

El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent A. Scott Good issued the following statement:

We are relieved and overjoyed after the successful rescue of a missing child who was separated from her mother during an illegal smuggling attempt into the country. Our dedicated agents and HSI law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to locate the infant and reunite her with her mother. This reunification is a powerful reminder of the importance to protect vulnerable individuals from smugglers exploitation, as we remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our border communities.