School bus driver suspected of smuggling migrants in southern Arizona
A school bus driver was arrested, suspected of smuggling migrants inside a bus early last month near Arizona's southern border, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
The unidentified U.S. citizen was taken into custody on Oct. 1 by the Brian A. Terry Station Field Training Unit after being caught smuggling migrants inside a yellow school bus in Naco, Arizona, according to John Modlin, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector.
"Vigilant border camera operators played a crucial role in this apprehension after observing suspected migrants enter the bus," Modlin wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Border Patrol agents observed the school bus pick up four individuals near Naco Highway and Newell Street, according to a statement from the Border Patrol.
More migrants on the move: Border Patrol's Tucson Sector busiest along US-Mexico border for third straight month
"The agent conducted a consensual encounter with the driver and discovered the four individuals were illegally in the U.S.," read the statement. The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case, the statement added.
No other details about the arrest were shared.
Photos attached to the X post showed four individuals sitting against a wall, their faces blurred. Another person was photographed standing inside the bus, and that individual's face also was blurred.
It was unclear what school district the person arrested worked for as a driver.
The school bus was returned to the school district, according to the Border Patrol's statement.
The name of the school district on the bus was blurred in photos. Faded wording on the side of the pictured bus showed it previously bore signage reading "Tempe Elementary."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: School bus driver suspected of smuggling migrants in southern Arizona
