Girl Found Inside Dashboard Trying To Cross Border

SAN YSIDRO -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro border station said they arrested two U.S. citizens after they discovered a 10-year old undocumented Mexican girl hidden within a car while it was undergoing an intensive inspection, officials announced Wednesday.

The girl, tightly trapped under the dashboard and the front passenger seat of the 1988 white Toyota Camry, was removed after officers worked for 30 minutes to partially remove the seat. She appeared to be in good condition, officials said.

The vehicle and its two adult passengers were escorted into the secondary inspection station at about 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2004 after a officer processing the vehicle noticed what appeared to be a person's leg under the front passenger seat.

The driver, a 47-year-old female from Chula Vista, and a 19-year-old male passenger who resides in Tijuana were arrested for the smuggling attempt and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center to await arraignment.

Authorities contacted the child's parents in Mexico and subsequently paroled the girl and her mother to federal custody to act as material witnesses.

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GIRL FOUND IN PINATA Smuggled Girl Found Inside Pinata

In a disturbing trend, the number of undocumented minors, including infants and youngsters, apprehended during fiscal year 2004 at ports of entry on the California/Mexico border climbed to 6,478, up almost 17 percent over the previous year.

A 5-year-old girl found hidden inside a pinata in the back seat of a car being inspected at the San Ysidro border station in November drew widespread media interest to the issue.

"We plan to continue to work closely with Mexican officials, community organizations and the media to bring attention to this disturbing trend in an effort to educate undocumented families not to entrust their youngsters to smugglers," said Adele Fasano, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego.