Border agents catch 13 illegal immigrants all wearing marine uniforms 'embroidered with the name Perez'

The immigrants were in a van that was stopped along Interstate 8 on March 14.

The van had a U.S. government licence plate with an altered number, Border Patrol spokesman Michael Jimenez said.

He did not know where the group obtained the military uniforms. There are reports that each of the 13 uniforms were embroidered with the surname 'Perez'. 

'This effort is an example of the lengths smugglers will go through to avoid detection, and the skilled and effective police work of the agents and the customs and border protection,' he said.

Two U.S. citizens who were with the immigrants were arrested on suspicion of alien smuggling.

Three of the immigrants were being held in federal custody as witnesses and the others were returned to Mexico, their country of origin, he said.