338 Illegal Aliens Arrested at Swap Meet

ESCONDIDO — The U.S. Border Patrol arrested 338 illegal aliens Sunday during a morning raid at the swap meet.

All of those apprehended were citizens of Mexico, said Ed Pyeatt, a Border Patrol spokesman. They were expected to be returned to Mexico later Sunday, Pyeatt said.

Pyeatt said that the swap meet, in a parking lot near downtown Escondido, has become a popular hangout for undocumented workers in recent years. Last fall, the Border Patrol arrested more than 200 illegal aliens in a similar raid.

On Sunday, 16 agents, both in plainclothes and uniforms, descended on the parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Members of the Escondido Police Department also were present during the two-hour operation, Pyeatt said.