Ten Mexican Migrants Busted in Failed Human Smuggling Attempt, Say Feds

Human Smuggling Stop in Laredo Sector
File Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Laredo Sector

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 10 Mexican migrants following a pursuit that began as an attempted traffic stop.

Zapata Station Border Patrol agents patrolling near Zapata, Texas, attempted to stop a pickup truck traveling south on U.S. Highway 83. The driver of the vehicle refused and led agents on a chase into the town, according to Laredo Sector officials.

The agents activated their emergency light on a suspicious vehicle in the early morning hours of September 5, officials stated. The driver attempted to lose the agents by turning off his headlights.

Eventually, the agents caught up with the truck near 2nd Street in Zapata and found six people in the bed. Four additional migrants were found in the cab. Agents conducted immigration interviews and determined all 10 to be Mexican nationals with no legal authorization to be present in the U.S.

The agents were unable to locate the driver.

Agents transported the Mexican nationals to the Zapata Border Patrol Station for a biometric background investigation and medical screening. They then processed the migrants for removal.

Officials reportedly seized the pickup truck.

Human smugglers frequently lead Border Patrol agents on pursuits to avoid apprehension — sometimes with fatal consequences.

In April, El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a minivan overloaded with 12 migrants and the driver. The driver led the agents in New Mexico on a high-speed chase that resulted in a rollover crash, Breitbart Texas reported. The crash ejected two of the migrants from the vehicle. The migrants died at the scene.

Five migrants died in another rollover involving a pursuit by Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s office deputies in the Del Rio Sector in June 2018. Border Patrol agents initially attempted to stop multiple vehicles including a Suburban. The Suburban fled, leading agents on a chase. Deputies from the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office took over the chase and the driver of the Suburban reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, officials reported. The driver eventually lost control and rolled multiple times ejecting 12 of the vehicle’s 14 occupants. Four migrants died at the scene and a fifth died after being flown to a San Antonio hospital.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.

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