Twenty-six illegal aliens were arrested in two significant human smuggling attempts.

Blythe Station Border Patrol agents at the Highway 78 Immigration Checkpoint near Palo Verde , California arrested 14 illegal aliens when they attempted to walk around the checkpoint to avoid agents.  Thirteen of those arrested were Mexican nationals and one was a Guatemalan national. Early Thursday morning , a Wellton Station Border Patrol Supervisor at the immigration checkpoint on eastbound Interstate 8 was on duty when a Ford E-350 passenger van containing 13 subjects stopped for inspection. A work helmet and reflective safety vest commonly worn by laborers were displayed on the dashboard. The driver , 1 31-year old man from Mexico , was determined to be  lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The 12 passengers were questioned as to their citizenship and all were found to be illegal aliens from Mexico. The driver was arrested on smuggling charges and the illegal aliens were processed for removal from this country.