2 people accused of trying to smuggle people, including child, into El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Friday, the Justice Department said two Mexico residents appeared in federal court this week in El Paso to face charges for allegedly smuggling migrants, including a child, in the U.S.

The DOJ said on Sunday, 39-year-old Abraham Romo-Rivera and 29-year-old Amairani Munoz-Molinar tried to cross the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry from Mexico.

Romo-Rivera allegedly drove the vehicle, which carried Munoz-Molinar, a boy and a woman, the DOJ said. Romo-Rivera and Munoz-Molinar showed their permanent resident cards and claimed the two other passengers as their children, the DOJ said.

A Customs and Border Protection officer noticed the woman tried to hide her face, the DOJ said, and sent the vehicle for another inspection. An officer also noticed the woman's supposed identification documents didn't match her. The DOJ said she allegedly disclosed she was a Mexican citizen.

Investigators found out Romo-Rivera was allegedly expecting a $10,000 payment to smuggle woman and boy through the border, the DOJ said.

During a pat-down search, an officer found an envelope with the woman and boy's actual birth certificates and passports, the DOJ alleged. Officials then found out the boy was a minor, the DOJ said.

Romo-Rivera and Munoz-Molinar were arrested and charged with one count of bringing in and harboring the migrants. If convicted, they could each face up to 10 years in prison, the DOJ said.

A federal district court judge will decide their sentence.