On way to U.S., girl held captive at border hotel

Problem is not new, officials say
By Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

The 16-year-old girl thought she was dealing with smugglers in Tijuana, but her attempt to get across the border took a bad turn when she was held captive for ransom.

Pay the money, her relatives said they were told last week, and the girl – who was being held in a hotel – will be released in the United States.

“Once the money was paid, they told her it didn't work out and gave her 20 pesos,” said Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is investigating the case.

The problem, Mack said, was that the people holding the girl never intended to help her cross the border.

The girl's relatives “were actually (negotiating) with individuals posing as smugglers who ended up extorting them,” she said.

It is a situation investigators in her agency have come across three times in the past year, Mack said.