Two US citizens were arrested after border patrol agents found an unconscious migrant hidden in the back seat of their pickup truck, with one suspect claiming gunmen forced them to smuggle him.
Jaime Antonio Luna and Eduardo Jesus Luna are facing felony charges after US Customs and Border Protection officers discovered Ivan Montes Velasquez, a Mexican national, passed out in their vehicle last week at the San Ysidro port of entry, in San Diego, according to Border Report.
The two men were allegedly driving in Tijuana after buying groceries when they decided to head into the US with the migrant in tow.
Eduardo Jesus claimed that while they were at a Walmart in Tijuana, a group of gunmen approached the duo and forced them to try to smuggle Velasquez into the US, allegedly warning the men that they would be followed to make sure they complied.
Jaime Antonio, however, did not back up the story, officials said, with the man claiming they just decided to drive into the US that day while making no mention of how Velasquez found himself in their car.
Officials said that Jamie Antonio, who was driving the car last Tuesday, was avoiding eye contact with police and gripping the steering wheel tightly, drawing their suspicion.
An investigation of the car revealed Velasquez squeezed into the back of the Ford F-150 pickup truck, with the migrant rushed to a local hospital.
Velasquez, who is now in CBP custody, said he agreed to pay the two Americans $1,000 if they could smuggle him across the border.
He claimed he was looking to find a way to Seattle to live with family members and find work, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.
Both Americans were arrested and charged with bringing an undocumented migrant into the country for financial gain and aiding and abetting the commission of a crime.
Both men are due to return to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California for their arraignment on June 27.
