12 migrants arrested, accused of illegal entering U.S. in MN

 The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says 12 migrants from Ireland and Great Britain were arrested after illegally entering the United States in northern Minnesota.

Border Patrol agents, with the help of local law enforcement, intercepted the human smuggling attempt over the span of two days in late September, the agency said over the weekend.

An agent with the Border Patrol station in Warroad learned that two vehicles illegally entered the U.S. near Roseau on Sept. 25, according to a news release.

The agent drove south on Highway 89 toward Grygla and spotted the two vehicles at a gas station.

One of the vehicles left as the agent approached, but the agent made contact with the other driver, which led to the arrest of four migrants, the agency said.

The next day, a Border Patrol agent in International Falls saw the other vehicle at a restaurant in Bemidji. The car was empty, so the agent went to a nearby hotel and spoke with an employee at the front desk who said a couple had recently checked in, but left shortly before the agent arrived.

With the help of the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, the agent later located the couple and eight migrants who were arrested.

Earlier this year, a Florida man was charged with human smuggling in Minnesota after the bodies of four people were found in Canada near the U.S. border. Authorities said the four had frozen to death during a blizzard in a failed crossing attempt.