11 Human Smugglers, 27 Migrants Arrested near Texas Border

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents disrupted seven human smuggling attempts, leading to the arrest of 11 smugglers and 27 migrants over the past weekend. The foreign nationals came from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

Brackettville Station Border Patrol agents came upon a 2019 Dodge Caravan on a ranch road near Brackettville, Texas, on November 3. During an inspection, the agents confirmed the driver, a 39-year-old woman from La Pryor, and a passenger, a 34-year-old man from Batesville, were both U.S. citizens. The agents also discovered the four other passengers were in the U.S. illegally, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

The four migrants came to the U.S. from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, officials stated. A search of the vehicle led to the finding of one gram of methamphetamine and a pipe. The agents arrested the two suspected human smugglers and turned the drugs and pipe over to the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office.

One day earlier, Carrizo Springs Station Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 277 checkpoint observed a 2010 Chevrolet Impala approaching for inspection. The agents determined the driver to be a 24-year-old migrant with Lawful Permanent Resident status. He and his front-seat passenger are both citizens of the Dominican Republic, officials reported. The agents searched the vehicle and found a Salvadoran woman and her 9-year-old daughter hidden inside a compartment located between the rear seat and the trunk of the sedan. The agents arrested the two men for making fraudulent statements.

In five other incidents over the weekend, Del Rio Sector agents arrested seven additional human smugglers and apprehended 21 illegal immigrants from Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, officials stated.

“Human smugglers demonstrate a complete disregard for the welfare of those they smuggle in their selfish quest for profit,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Our agents, through superior communication and teamwork, were able to stop these smugglers and illegal aliens from going farther into the United States.”