Mexico — The US has clarified that all 14 Mexican soldiers detained over the weekend, were “briefly detained” by border agents before being sent back to Mexico.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that around midnight, 14 Mexican soldiers were “briefly detained” by border agents Saturday morning when crossing into the state of Texas.
On Saturday, 14 Mexican soldiers were detained after crossing into Texas. One of them was found carrying marijuana. Thirteen of the 14 who crossed the border were prosecuted without incident, however, one soldier was given a civil penalty after the quantity of marijuana was found for personal use.
The armed soldiers were traveling in two SUVs camouflaged when, from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, crossed the international bridge known as De las Americas where they entered El Paso.
According to Reuters, “the 14 soldiers, their equipment and vehicles were returned to Mexico before 5 a.m.” adding that “soldiers, weapons and equipment were secured for their safety and prosecution. The soldiers reported that they did not realize that they had entered the United States,” said CBP.
