3K Migrants Rescued from Human Smuggling Abuses in 2019, Say Feds

U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued and apprehended more than 3,000 migrants during Fiscal Year 2019 who were abused in the process of human smuggling operations in the U.S. Many migrants are extorted, raped, beaten, or placed in life-threatening situations during the human smuggling process.

U.S. Border Patrol agents across the country rescued and apprehended more than 3,000 officials say are abused in the process of trying to illegally enter the United States. “The harsh conditions smugglers expose them to often lead to severe injury or death. Tragically, too many have died while being smuggled,” Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost tweeted Monday evening.

Human smugglers frequently use stash houses at various points throughout the process. Frequently, these stops are used to extort additional fees from the families. Many times, women will be raped and men will be beaten as a method of intimidation while the smugglers attempt to get more money for their efforts, Breitbart Texas previously reported.

Other areas where migrants are placed in danger includes being locked in tractor-trailers, cargo trucks, and even trunks of automobiles.

Last week, Breitbart Texas reported on about 26 migrants being rescued during dangerous human smuggling operations. In one case, a migrant was found locked in the toolbox of a pickup truck with no means of escape.

“Many lives have been lost in horrible conditions caused by smugglers locking immigrants in toolboxes, car trunks, and tractor-trailers,” Del Rio Sector Patrol Agent in Charge Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “With temperatures over 100 degrees and no way to escape, this could have ended tragically.”

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents rescued 10 migrants in July who were locked in the cabins of tractors being towed to points of sale in the heat of the South Texas summer.

In May, a Laredo Sector K-9 alerted to another tractor-trailer at this same checkpoint, Breitbart News reported. An inspection of the trailer yielded 66 migrants who were locked inside with no means of escape in the event of a crash or abandonment by the human smugglers. Agents said the 66 migrants included two juveniles.

Frequently, migrants are rescued from drowning in waterways like the Rio Grande in Texas or other border rivers and canals elsewhere along the border. Earlier this month, Del Rio Sector agents rescued 13 migrants, including six children, from drowning near Eagle Pass, Texas.

Border Patrol agents frequently put their own lives in danger in order to rescue migrants from life-threatening conditions.