SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A human smuggler reportedly used two children as decoys by dropping them over the border into concertina wire, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP reports that two Salvadoran girls, ages six and nine, were dropped roughly eight feet from the San Diego border behind concertina wire late Monday night.
“Agents responded and moments later, a group of 10 individuals crossed the border in the area agents vacated,” said Rodney Scott, Chief Patrol Agent for the U.S. Border Patrol.
Scott said on social media that the group eluded capture.
The two young girls were given medical attention for what CBP called minor injuries.
The agency is working with the consulate in El Salvador to locate the girls’ parents, the agency said.
Watch video of the incident below:
Last night, a human smuggler dropped two young Salvadoran girls, 6 and 9, from the aging border barrier behind concertina wire. As agents vacated their patrol positions in response, 10 people crossed illegally nearby. They eluded capture. #USBP #CBP #BORDER #BORDERSECURITY pic.twitter.com/t2QNmQLpoK
— CBP San Diego (@CBPSanDiego) March 12, 2019