FALFURRIAS, Texas–A natural gas pipeline being constructed in the western portions of Brooks County is rapidly becoming a super-highway for illegal immigrants struggling to sneak around the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint located in the county. Workers report regularly seeing illegals making their way along the pathway of the pipeline.
Brooks County Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Walden brought Breitbart Texas to the construction area during a ride-along. He said the pipleline has already become a massive flow point for the illegal immigrants who struggle to find their way north to an area where they can be picked up. Pipeline construction workers confirmed the presence of the illegal immigrants on a regular basis.
One worker told Breitbart Texas he found two young girls last week who were travelling alone. They had apparently become separated from their group and had been left behind to die. He said they looked very scared and were very thirsty. The girls were estimated to be in their early 20’s.
He said he had found seven in the past week including two males who were hiding inside one of the pipes. “With the heat of the sun it had to be well over a hundred degrees inside the pipe,” the worker said.
Company policy instructs the workers to keep their distance from the immigrants but to provide them water by tossing bottles of water to them. They are then instructed to call the sheriff’s office or Border Patrol for assistance.
The hike along the pipeline gives the illegal immigrants a great navigation tool as it runs in a straight line from south to north. While that is a great help to the immigrants who often get lost and frequently die in these ranch fields, it comes with another problem, soft sand. The soil in this region is composed of sand that is so soft, four wheel drive vehicles often get stuck.
“The exertion from walking in this kind of sand,” Deputy Walden said, “can make one mile feel like twenty. The increased difficulty of walking in this sand makes the illegal immigrants burn water even faster.” Walden is, in addition to being a law enforcement officer, a trained and certified medic.
The workers told Breitbart Texas they had left an ice chest on one of their vehicles overnight. The cooler contained water and soft drinks they use to keep their workers hydrated during the hot days that are now approaching one hundred degrees. “The cooler was completely empty when we came in the next morning,” the worker said. “We don’t mind them taking the drinks if it helps save them from dying.”
Deputy Walden is a volunteer reserve deputy for Brooks County. In his regular job, he serves as acting police chief of the Donna Independent School District Police Department. He has organized the Border Brotherhood of Texas, a group of sworn police officers who are volunteering their time to help the distressed Brooks County Sheriff’s Office.
Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.