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TUCSON - A mother was reunited with her three-year-old daughter after Border Patrol agents worked with authorities in Mexico to rescue her form the hands of a smuggler last Thursday evening.

After Nogales Station Border Patrol agents apprehended a Guatemalan woman for illegally entering the United States, she told them that a smuggler had left to Mexico with her daughter, according to a news release from Customs and Border Protection.

The Foreign Operations Branch contacted law enforcement in Mexico, who searched through the night, and on Friday morning, announced they had located the girl. She was escorted to the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales where she was reunited with her mother.

"Recognizing the dangers of smuggling, the Guatemalan Consulate routinely works with the US Border Patrol and the Government of Mexico to help avoid incidents that may harm or impact our co-nationals," said Julia Guzman, Guatemalan Consulate. "This young mother was fortunate to have been reunited with her daughter, but we can't always count on good luck. Smugglers should not be trusted."

"Smuggling organizations have little regard for human life and make no exception for children," CBP officials state in a news release. "The Tucson Sector Border Patrol, in collaboration with the Guatemalan and Mexican governments, is committed to educating migrants of the dangers of dealing with smugglers. Through these coordinated efforts we continue to create a safer environment on both sides of the border."