The Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office intercepts 54 illegal immigrants just 90 miles east of El Paso, and among the group are two former Mexican soldiers.

The arrests were part of Operation Linebacker. Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West said it shows how local law enforcement can be another line of defense along the border.

The immigrants were caught on Highway 62/180, near the Guadalupe Mountains. That's where Hudspeth County deputies set up a checkpoint and within a matter of hours intercepted three trucks and one van loaded with illegal immigrants, totaling 54 people, including two children and six women.

The most alarming part, West said, was that two men were carrying Mexican military IDs.

"Two of the aliens that were mixed in with the crowd were either ex- or former military. One of them had been deported just two weeks ago," West said...