see also: in February 2008:   Marijuana Seized by CBP Officers at San Luis, Ariz. Port   Border Patrol in Tucson Seizes 4 Tons of Marijuana   CBP Officers in Philadelphia Discover Venomous 8-Legged Stowaway   Arizona Event to Assist Border Patrol Applicants   Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Announce International Initiative Against Traffickers in Counterfeit Network Hardware   Border Patrol Apprehends 62 Illegal Migrants Hiding in Arizona House   CBP Officers in Calif. Find Smuggled Women in Truck Engine Compartment ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Tucson, Ariz. — Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wilcox Station rescued six illegal aliens yesterday morning from a moving vehicle on Interstate 10 after the driver and passenger fled the scene afoot.

At approximately 7 a.m. yesterday, Border Patrol agents attempted to pull over a suspected smuggling load vehicle on Interstate 10 near Benson, Ariz. Initially, the Chevrolet Suburban pulled to the side of the westbound lanes of Interstate 10. As the agent approached the vehicle, the driver immediately accelerated and re-entered oncoming traffic. After traveling a short distance, the driver and the front-seat passenger jumped out of the moving vehicle and fled on foot. The agent quickly returned to his vehicle and activated his emergency lights and siren to warn other motorists of the potential danger while using his service vehicle to re-direct the load vehicle safely to the shoulder of the roadway. After securing the vehicle, agents removed five men and one woman from the vehicle and placed them in Border Patrol custody. There were no injuries reported.

After being returned to the Wilcox Station for processing, the group was voluntarily returned to Mexico, while the load vehicle was processed for seizure. The agents' vehicle sustained only minor damage to the back bumper.

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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.