2 men arrested for allegedly kidnapping migrant children north of Las Cruces

Photos courtesy of New Mexico State Police

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping two migrant children on Wednesday, May 29 north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, according to a news release sent out by New State Police -Mexico (NMSP).

An NMSP officer was patrolling Interstate 25 near mile marker 17 on May 29. The officer saw an SUV and the passengers in the back seat were not wearing seat belts, according to NMSP.

A traffic stop was initiated and the driver, Saul Rojas Villa, 40, stopped.

NMSP said that during the traffic stop, the officer discovered 11 migrants in the SUV and five- and 11-year-old children in the loading area.

Antonio Guerra Garcia, 23, claimed to be the uncle of the two children, but upon further investigation it was learned he had no connection to the children, according to NMSP.

NMSP said agents learned that the children's mother paid the men to transport the children across the border and then forced them to turn themselves into Border Patrol agents in El Paso.

The two men did not allow the children to surrender and continued their journey north, crossing the border.

The migrants, including the two children, were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents and transported to El Paso, according to NMSP.

NMSP said the children will be reunited with their mother, who lives in Mississippi, once proof of guardianship is provided.

The Dona Ana District Attorney was contacted and approved the kidnapping and child abuse charge of Rojas Villa and Guerra Garcia, according to NMSP. They were both booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.