Cross-Border Cooperation Leads to Bust of Mexican Human Smuggling Stash House

Cross-border cooperation between Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents and Mexican law enforcement officials led to the rescue of 24 migrants being held in a stash house in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit received information from sources about a large group of migrants being held in a stash house in Nuevo Laredo, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from Laredo Sector officials. The agents provided the information to the Laredo Sector’s Foreign Operations Branch who, in turn, contacted the Government of Mexico.

Mexican law enforcement officials went to the house and discovered 24 people locked inside the home. The Mexican law enforcement operation resulted in the rescue of 24 migrants — all from Guatemala. Ages and genders of the migrants were not disclosed in the Laredo Sector statement.

“This enforcement action clearly demonstrates the exceptional level of binational cooperation that the Border Patrol has with the Government of Mexico,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta said in a written statement. “We fully intend to continue this level of cooperation between both governments to detect and prevent the smuggling of individuals.”

Migrants are frequently held in stash houses located south of the U.S. border with Mexico while the cartel-connected human smugglers await the timing for setting up a border crossing. Frequently, the smugglers will use the opportunity to attempt to extort additional funding from family members of the migrants, Border Patrol officials told Breitbart Texas in the past. In addition, migrants are subjected to inhuman housing conditions and are frequently beaten or otherwise assaulted.
The smugglers will often attempt to time the smuggling of humans across the border to set up a distraction for Border Patrol agents while they attempt to move drugs across the border at another location.

The Laredo Sector is responsible for securing 170 miles of river border with Mexico to prevent the smuggling of drugs and humans as well as to protect this country from terrorists who might attempt to take advantage of border conditions in this sector. There are zero miles of border fencing or walls in this sector, Chief Acosta told Breitbart Texas in a recent interview.