14 Migrants Arrested in Two Smuggling Attempts near Texas Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 14 migrants during two failed smuggling attempts near the Texas border with Mexico.

Agents assigned to the Laredo North Border Patrol Station attempted to stop a silver pickup truck traveling north on Interstate 35 late in the afternoon of August 25. The driver allegedly failed to yield leading to a short pursuit, according to information provided by Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents.

The truck eventually pulled to the side of the highway and 10 occupants bailed out and fled into the brush. Agents tracked and eventually took all 10 into custody. Immigration interviews determined the migrants to be from Mexico and El Salvador. Officials said they had no documentation allowing them to be in the United States.

The agents learned through a records check that the pickup truck was reported stolen. The agents were transported to the Laredo North Station where they will be processed for immigration violations.

Elsewhere in the sector, agents assigned to the Interstate 35 Immigration Checkpoint observed a truck pulling two additional tractors approaching for an inspection early in the morning of August 26. The driver consented to a non-intrusive search. During the scan, agents observed anomalies in the sleeper area of the second tractor, according to Laredo Sector officials.

A physical search of the vehicle led to the discovery of four people hiding inside the sleeper area of the rig. Agents conducted an immigration interview and determined the four were illegally present in the United Sates, officials stated. The migrants came to the U.S. from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Ecuador.

Officials said none of the migrants required medical attention. The agents placed the migrants and the U.S. citizen driver under arrest for alleged immigration violations and human smuggling.