U. S. Border Patrol agents found 21 illegal aliens in the cargo area of a tractor-trailer.

At about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday , a man drove the big rig into the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint near Salton City. A canine detection team alerted to the cargo area of the trailer and during a follow-up inspection agents discovered 21 people locked inside the trailer. There were no safety restraints and no way for the people to get out on their own. The 21 included 16 men , 4 women and an unaccompanied male juvenile. All 21 were returned to Mexico while the driver , a 50-year old man , gave officers a Legal Permanent Resident card that later proved to be false. He is being held in federal custody pending criminal charges.