Border agents in the Tucson, Arizona, domain are seeing an influx of immigrants from Guinea with fake passports to pretend they are minors when they enter the U. S. illegally, according to an internal alert received via Fox News.
Illegal immigrants replace their age and pose as unaccompanied minors to have a better chance of entering the United States.
The Border Patrol Notice tells officials what to look out for and provides examples of authentic and fake Guinean passports. It warns that passports issued in the municipality of Conakry, Guinea’s capital, after June 2023 are “most likely fraudulent or tampered with. “
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An internal Border Patrol notice obtained by Fox News. It warns agents to be on the lookout for fake passports some illegal immigrants are using to pose as minors to enter the U.S. (US Border Patrol)
The notice also alerts agents that the Guinean government might be playing a direct role in the fraud. Custodial interviews with Guinean migrants with suspected phony passports indicate that Guinean government officials “may be advising people obtaining new passports they can change their age for them to have a better chance of entering the United States as minors.”
The West African country of Guinea was noted on a map. (Getty Images)
Most encounters, Border Patrol notes, are from adults claiming to be unaccompanied children.
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Another migrant, according to the Border Patrol, noted that an “illicit group” had stolen many blank passports from the ministry in Conakry and “sold and issued the passports without procedures. “
A U. S. Border Patrol agent The U. S. Department of Homeland Security verifies the identity of migrants as they wait to be processed after crossing the border from Mexico on Dec. 30, 2022, in Yuma, Arizona. (Qian Weizhong/VCG Getty Images)
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The alert comes as many adult men from Guinea have crossed the border into the Tucson domain. Border Patrol resources estimate that about 170 Guinean nationals crossed the border in the Tucson domain on Saturday alone.
Bradford Betz is a reporter for Fox News Digital who covers crime, political issues, and more.