Smuggler Leads Agents on Vehicle Pursuit with Migrants Locked in Trunk

A human smuggler in Arizona led Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents on a short pursuit after she reportedly fled an immigration checkpoint. The woman allegedly had two migrants locked in the trunk of her vehicle.

Agents assigned to the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint observed a Chevrolet sedan approaching for inspection late last week. The agents in the primary inspection lane became suspicious and referred the woman to a secondary inspection station, according to information obtained from Tucson Sector Border Patrol officials.

Instead of stopping for the secondary inspection, the woman accelerated away and re-entered the highway. Border Patrol agents quickly pursued and the woman stopped after about a mile. She pulled off the side of the interstate highway and agents took her into custody without incident.

Agents identified the woman as a Phoenix, Arizona, resident. A search of her vehicle revealed two migrants concealed in the trunk of her car. The agents identified the migrants as Mexican nationals.

Border Patrol officials referred the woman to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona for human smuggling charges. She is being held in custody pending the disposition of her charges.

Agents conducted a background investigation on the two migrants who the woman had locked in her vehicle. The investigation revealed that immigration officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously deported one of the Mexican nationals. The migrant could be prosecuted under federal felony charges for illegal re-entry after removal. The other migrant is being processed for immigration violations.

Border Patrol officials caution that increasing temperatures in the southern Arizona desert make this type of human smuggling extremely dangerous or even life-threatening.

“Arizona’s high temperatures can kill humans riding in the trunk of a car,” officials said in a written statement. “Other dangers include carbon monoxide poisoning and the risk of serious injury or death from a vehicle collision.”

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