CBP Officers Discover Missing Utah Teen

Nogales, Ariz. — A missing 13-year-old girl from Murray, Utah, was taken into custody Wednesday, July 4, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Nogales.

The girl and her 18-year-old sister were attempting to enter the United States through the Dennis DeConcini Port when officers referred their vehicle for secondary inspection. During the inspection, officers ran a routine record check on both females and discovered the younger teen was listed as a missing juvenile. Officers contacted the girls’ mother who requested the 13-year-old be held and turned over to the Nogales Police Department. The older sister was released without further incident.

The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within CBP tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.