Border Patrol agents arrested an Iranian national after he illegally crossed the border near the Laredo, Texas, downtown sector. There are no physical barriers separating Laredo from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended the Iranian national near the Rio Grande River border with Mexico on Wednesday. The agents determined the man illegally entered the U.S. without documentation and placed him under arrest, according to Laredo Sector officials.
A search of the illegal immigrant from Iran led to the discovery of two cell phones and currency from six different nations.
“Laredo Sector agents are encountering and apprehending people from all over the world on a daily basis. Many times, their intentions for entering the country illegally are unknown and the utmost caution must be used to ensure that they are not here to cause harm,” Laredo Sector Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Anthony S. Good said in a written statement.
The area where the Iranian man crossed makes it very easy for illegal immigrants to come out of the brush and quickly disappear into downtown Laredo. The agents managed to arrest the Iranian man before he could blend into the town’s population.
The arrest of the Iranian national comes at a time where the Laredo Sector is seeing a large number of illegal immigrants from countries with recognized ties to terrorism. Since October 1, 2017, Laredo Sector agents apprehended more than 320 Bangladeshi nationals who were smuggled into the U.S. by Mexican cartel-connected human smugglers, Breitbart Texas reported last week.
Laredo Sector agents also sounded the alarm about two Syrian nationals arrested after they illegally entered from Mexico.
“We don’t know the intentions of these foreign nationals we caught sneaking across the border into Texas,” U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Garza told Breitbart Texas in his capacity as president of the National Border Patrol Council 2455 during a recent interview. “What we do know is that if the cartel-connected smugglers can bring people with good intentions across the border, they can also bring people with bad intentions.”
The two Syrian nationals apprehended on May 7, crossed the border in the same part of Laredo as the 322 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested. Garza explained that all drug and human smuggling in this area is controlled by the cartel known as Los Zetas.
“Laredo is a prime target for these ruthless smugglers because of our sector’s shortage of manpower and the lack of a physical barrier,” Garza explained. “We have 170 miles of river border with Mexico. Not one mile of that border has a physical barrier. We are wide open for these drug and human smugglers.”
Breitbart Texas reached out to Laredo Sector officials for more information about the Iranian national arrested on Wednesday. A response was not immediately available.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.
(Disclosure: Breitbart Texas sponsored the Green Line podcast for the NBPC in an effort to provide a platform for agents to inform the public about the realities on the border and what Border Patrol agents face. Director Brandon Darby received an award from the Laredo chapter of the NBPC for his work in helping to defend and bring a voice to Border Patrol agents. Breitbart News assisted in covering funeral costs for a slain Border Patrol agent previously.)