2 Indians held in Washington State for staying illegally

The US Border Patrol picked the Indian nationals during a routine check at a bus terminal in Spokane.

Representational image

WASHINGTON: US border patrol agents have arrested two Indian nationals on charges of illegally staying in the country, the law enforcement agency said on Wednesday.

The two persons, arrested over the weekend, are now being processed for removal, the agency said in a media release.

The US Border Patrol said they encountered the Indian nationals during a routine immigration check operations of all passengers at a bus terminal in Spokane, Washington.

Agents spoke with one individual who presented an expired B-2 tourist visa issued more than a year ago. They took the man into custody due to his expired visa, the release stated.

The B-2 visa is issued for short visits to the US for vacation or medical treatment. Agents determined the other individual illegally crossed into the US from Mexico in May 2011. Investigation revealed he was also in possession of a fraudulent social security card.

Both individuals were processed for removal and transported to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma to await their immigration hearing.

"The use of fake documents, while commonly used, is often difficult to detect due to the limited amount of interaction that our agents have with the public while conducting enforcement operations at the transportation facility," patrol agent-in-charge Zach Crosson said.