Border Patrol Apprehends 15 Migrants with Fake IDs in Louisiana

New Orleans Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 15 migrants for using fraudulent documents at a government meeting in Louisiana last week. The 15 included one unaccompanied minor.

During a Gulf Coast Safety Council training meeting in St. Rose, Louisiana, Border Patrol, ICE officers, and Social Security Administration investigators encountered a group of illegal immigrants attempting to use fraudulent documents. The migrants presented what officials believed to be counterfeit Social Security cards and driver’s licenses, according to a statement.

The agents carried out a brief investigation and determined the migrants to be of Mexican and Nicaraguan origin. The agents placed the 14 Mexican nationals and one Nicaraguan national into custody after determining they had no legitimate documents allowing their legal presence in the United States.

“These arrests represent a beautiful example of Department of Homeland Security components working together to ensure national security,” USBP New Orleans Sector Chief Gregory Bovino said in a written statement. “Illegal aliens can use fake identification to thwart the E-Verify System used by some corporations. Some of these companies constitute critical infrastructure, such as chemical plants or refineries, where the potential exists for possible terrorist attack or sabotage.”

The agents turned the 14 adults over to officials with the Social Security Administration and Homeland Security Investigations for possible criminal charges. They also turned the unaccompanied alien child over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement for removal proceedings.

“Social Security number integrity has enormous financial consequences for the Government, the public, and the business community,” Adam D. Schneider, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, Dallas Field Division explained in a written statement. “The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General is committed to ensuring our national security by working with our law enforcement partners to identify people who use fraudulent identification documents and Social Security numbers to hide their true identity.”