Maggie's Farm

Four US Nationals Reported Jailed in Guadalajara

Four American citizens were arrested by Mexican military officials yesterday after being caught crossing the border into Mexico in a remote rural area. According to military officials, the four surrendered to an armed Mexican border patrol force without resistance, and are now in the custody of Guadalajara police.

According to the brief military report, the four white males claimed that they were from Minnesota, and were seeking to relocate to Mexico for "fun and sun and work" in Tijuana. They did not have American passports or Mexican work permits.

Entering Mexico without proper documentation, and bypassing offical entry zones, is illegal and punishable by incarceration. It is government policy to provide strict enforcement of the national borders to prevent illegal immigration into Mexico.

The four have not been permitted to communicate with the press or with attorneys. There has been no date assigned for any hearing regarding their status at this time, and the police have thus far refused to release their names or to comment on their condition.

The accuracy of this report has been confimed by neither the Newsweek staff nor by Al Jazeera News Service.