Border Patrol released video on Friday of the day San Diego lifeguards rescued migrants from the Tijuana River. The video was edited by border patrol to blur the faces of the migrants.
On Thursday, 20-year-old Kevin Noe Campos Villa of Tijuana pleaded guilty to smuggling seven migrants through sewer pipes during the heavy rains earlier this year.
He was arrested on Jan. 22 after Border Patrol agents watched him directing migrants from Mexico into the U.S. through the pipes about two miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
That day, historic rain had swelled waterways all over the San Diego area, which meant that sewer gates at the border were open to let floodwaters through.
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According to the U.S. Department of Justice, when he was confronted by Border Patrol agents, Campos and three of the migrants he was guiding fell into the Tijuana River and had to be rescued by San Diego lifeguards.
According to court records, two of the migrants said they feared for their lives because they did not know how to swim.
One said he was swept by the river’s current and was able to grab and hold onto a tree branch until his rescue.
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In court documents, Campos admitted to guiding the group of migrants in exchange for a $6,000 reduction to his own smuggling fee.
He also admitted he was working for smugglers by building ladders to smuggle people across the U.S.—Mexico border fence.
Campos faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Campos is due for sentencing on June 17.
Editor's note: A previous news release from the U.S. Attorney's office for San Diego mentioned a plea agreement. The U.S. Attorney later corrected that they were referring to court documents. The attorney's office also stated that Campos agreed to smuggle the group for $6,000. They corrected that to say he agreed to a $6,000 reduction to his own smuggling fee.
