TUCSON – First Lady of Guatemala Patricia Marroquin Argueta de Morales spent last Monday and Tuesday with Tucson Sector Border Patrol where she was briefed on border security operations in Southern Arizona.
The first lady’s visit was part of a five-day trip to learn about illegal immigration. She saw first-hand, the process apprehended juveniles go through after illegally entering the United States.
The first lady toured the U.S. border region of Nogales, Arizona. She saw portions of Tucson Sector’s infrastructure and the harsh terrain immigrants are being smuggled through.
She received a Border Patrol overview briefing, highlighting the Border Patrol’s mission, operations, and rescue efforts. She saw the Tucson Coordination Center, where she met with several Guatemalan youth in custody.
The first lady said she was grateful to the Border Patrol for their efforts to save immigrants’ lives, who are endangered by “coyotes” who mislead them and promise them things they cannot achieve.
She also said Guatemala will work side-by-side with the U.S. Border Patrol to inform people in the most vulnerable areas of Guatemala about the risks of crossing into the U.S. illegally; noting that children in particular are extremely vulnerable to exploitation by criminal organizations and environmental threats.
