U.S. Border Patrol officials in the Rio Grande Valley Sector received information regarding a group of migrants being held against their will by armed human smugglers. The smugglers held the migrants in a stash house located in Rio Grande City, Texas. Agents notified the Starr County Sheriff’s Office and CBP Air and Marine Operations and requested assistance.
Agents working in collaboration with the sheriff’s office made entry into the residence and found 23 migrants inside. Rio Grande City Station Border Patrol agents report the victims were being held against their will by an armed human smuggler. The migrants, from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, were determined to be illegally present in the United States, officials stated. CBP officials did not disclose the age or gender of the migrants being held against their will.
The Starr County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 49-year old man at the scene and seized one shotgun, one rifle, and an airsoft gun that were located in the residence. The suspect will face state charges for the alleged crimes.
On operations like this, Air and Marine Operations helicopter aircrews assist Border Patrol and local law enforcement by providing air cover. During nighttime operations, they also provide light and other technology to assist in the apprehension of people who might attempt to flee.
Breitbart Texas reports extensively on the warehousing of migrants in crowded and often filthy conditions in stash houses.
Most recently, Laredo Sector agents found 33 migrants locked in a stash house near the border with Mexico. The agents found all 33 came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico.
The migrants are frequently held against their will and extorted for additional smuggling fees. The migrants are often beaten or sexually assaulted and family members are threatened if they do not pay the additional ransom, Border Patrol officials previously told Breitbart Texas.
Jaeson Jones is a retired Captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division and a Breitbart Texas contributor. While on duty, he managed daily operations for the Texas Rangers Border Security Operations Center.