Missing teenager located during traffic stop with 3 illegal immigrants in trunk

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, July 11, 2024

A police officer in New Mexico discovered three illegal immigrants in the trunk of a car driven by a 17-year-old teen who had previously been reported missing after the officer pulled the teenager over near a border patrol checkpoint. 

Leland Antonio Munoz Dominguez was driving a 2006 BMW passenger vehicle on June 26 when a New Mexico State Police officer pulled him over on I-25. According to a Tuesday statement, the officer who conducted the traffic stop initially planned to turn the teenager over to his grandmother. 

But during the traffic stop, the officer heard a knocking noise coming from inside the vehicle's trunk. 

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"Upon inspecting the trunk, the officer found three undocumented immigrants inside," NMSP stated. "Dominguez was detained and Border Patrol was informed. When Border Patrol arrived, they took custody of the immigrants." 

The authorities also contacted the Juvenile Probation Office and the District Attorney's Office, and the latter authorized three charges of human trafficking and one charge of endangerment of a child. One of the illegal migrants inside the trunk was only 16 years old, according to NMSP. Dominguez was arrested and booked into the Dona Ana County Juvenile Detention Center.

Dominguez was reported missing earlier this year, police say. 

Further details surrounding Dominguez's arrest have yet to be made public.

American teenagers are smuggling migrants into the United States at troubling rates, with law enforcement officials telling Newsweek in April that money is the main motivation teens in the U.S. are participating. 

According to Texas Department of Public Safety data, thousands have been arrested in the last three years for smuggling-related charges. Those arrested for cashing in on the smuggling trade have ranged in age from 13 to 77, ranging from attorneys, medical professionals and military service members, according to officials who spoke with Click2Houston. 

In November 2023, two Dallas teens were arrested for human smuggling after a cartel offered to pay them $1,300 for each person they smuggled, NewsNation reported. 

One of the teenagers, Jonathan Rodriguez, told the outlet that it was his first time attempting to smuggle someone across the border, and he had seen a job advertisement on social media. 

Rodriguez was charged as an adult for trying to smuggle human persons. DPS caught Rodriguez and his friend after they were pulled over for running a stop sign. In a statement to NewsNation, Rodriguez said he regretted his actions. 

Craig Larabee, special agent in charge of Homeland Security San Antonio in Texas, told KENS in May that transnational criminal organizations actively recruit teenagers to smuggle illegal immigrants. He said advertisements on social media make it look easy to make a quick profit. 

"It's just money. It's just money, and you'll see the ads. They'll make a thousand dollars, $5,000 for one drive," Larabee said.  "It's big wads of cash money. ... Make your money, come get your money."

Data from Cochise County in Arizona showed that the Cochise County Attorney's Office prosecuted 33 juveniles for border-related crimes as of November 2023, Newsweek reported. Twenty of the offenders were charged as adults, and 13 of them were charged as juveniles. In 2022, the attorney's office prosecuted 49 juveniles, charging 38 as adults and 11 as juveniles.