Teen daughter reported held by 'coyotes' for ransom

An investigation into a report that a Woodbury woman's teen daughter is being held by people paid to bring her across the U.S.-Mexico border to Long Island is a grim but not uncommon reminder of the dangers of so-called "coyotes," immigration experts said Thursday.

On Tuesday, the girl's mother called Nassau police to report that men hired to smuggle her 14-year-old daughter into the U.S. were holding her. It was unclear Thursday who arranged for the trip or whether the girl was traveling alone.

Nassau police spokesman Det. Lt. Kevin Smith confirmed the mother made the report and said federal immigration officials are leading the investigation.

"The case obviously has implications outside of the state and outside of the country," Smith said. Police declined to name the family or comment on further aspects of the investigation, citing possible threats to the girl's safety.

As border enforcement has tightened over the last decade, more illegal immigrants have been forced, or were willing, to pay professional guides to transport them, on foot and aboard vehicles, said Marisol Perez, an immigration attorney in San Antonio, Texas. It's a dangerous trip that can cost several thousand dollars, she said.

Children as young as 6 have been caught crossing without an adult, she said.

"Actually, a 14-year-old is somewhat adult-like for making that trek," Perez said. The trip, already fraught with dangers of detention and separation from loved ones, is made worse by human traffickers who may rob or hold their "clients" for ransom.

"A lot of times they'll change the price once they get here. They'll call a family member and say, 'Now I have your 14-year-old, and what are you going to do?' " Perez said.

Sister Margaret Smyth of the Hispanic Apostolate of the North Fork said she has helped a handful of people in recent years who were negotiating with coyotes for a loved one's freedom. Smyth said she has at times offered assistance and notified police.

"One doesn't want to support this terrible system, but on the other hand you're talking about someone's life," she said.

Smyth recalled an East End man from Mexico who three years ago returned to visit family. After paying a coyote for the return trip and crossing the border into Texas, the coyotes demanded an extra $700, money he didn't have.

"He called and was in a panic, he didn't know where he was," Smyth said. "He said 'I'm in an apartment, there are a whole bunch of us here, they're not going to let us leave, and I think they'll hurt us.' " The man returned to Long Island safely after the money was paid, she said.

Attempts Thursday to speak with the Woodbury family were unsuccessful. The investigation has been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Calls to the agency's New York office were not returned Thursday.

With Laura Rivera