Three Arrested with Counterfeit Certificates of Naturalization by Lukeville CBP Officers

Lukevile, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Lukeville, Ariz., Port of Entry arrested three people in less than a five hour time span for attempting to enter the United States with counterfeit documents.

“The officers are trained to detect counterfeit documents, “said Acting Port Director Luz Galarza. “In today’s cases, their keen eyes have proven our training has paid off.”

On Tuesday, a 31-year-old man applied for admission into the U.S. by presenting a Certificate of Naturalization to a CBP officer who was staffing the pedestrian lane. The officer noticed the man’s odd behavior and the lack of security features within the certificate.

The man was immediately escorted into the office where the Certificate of Naturalization was examined further and determined by officers to be counterfeit.

Approximately 90 minutes later, a second attempt was made by a 35-year-old woman who presented a similar Certificate of Naturalization along with a social security card. The CBP officers determined the documents presented were counterfeit.

A third attempt was made approximately three hours later when a 22-year-old man presented another Certificate of Naturalization that was also determined to be counterfeit.

All three were processed for immigration violations and held for prosecution.