3 Salvadoran children rescued, held hostage in Phoenix area

PHOENIX - Federal authorities say they have rescued three Salvadoran children who were being held hostage by suspected human smugglers in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

"There is no life, no life at all," said neighbor Lupe Carrasco, who lives near the drop house were officials say they were being held. "One man for a five bedroom house, you wonder what's going on."

The house is a few doors down from a school near 71st Avenue and Encanto.

Agents say they raided the house and found 16 people from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, El Salvador and Dominican Republic.

Someone inside the house informed authorities that the children were at a nearby gas station.

"It is scary," said another neighbor, Lydia Valle. "I've never seen anything going in or out of that house."

"My neighbor said they're going in and closing the garage door," said Carrasco. "Maybe it's a drop house."

Authorities believe the children's parents live in Washington, D.C., and paid $13,000 to have the children smuggled into the country.

They say the children -- who range in age from 11 to 15 -- arrived in Phoenix in late April and the smugglers refused to release them unless the parents paid an additional $6,500.

Once that extra fee was paid, the smugglers then demanded another $7,000 and the parents called authorities.

"I feel sad," said Valle. "They know it's illegal, why do they do it anyway?"

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say the children were left at a gas station in west Phoenix and appeared to be in good health when they were rescued Tuesday.

They say an investigation into the smuggling scheme is continuing.