22 Migrants Apprehended in Horse Trailer, Stolen Truck in Texas near Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents recovered a stolen pickup truck and apprehended 22 migrants following a traffic stop about 30 miles north of the Texas border with Mexico. Agents found 16 of the 22 migrants locked in a horse trailer.

Laredo Sector agents received information about a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer being possibly involved in a human smuggling attempt, according to information obtained from Border Patrol officials in South Texas. Agents patrolling Interstate 35 about 30 miles north of Laredo found the truck and executed a traffic stop.

Officials reported that as the driver stopped the truck, he and several others bailed out of the truck and ran into the brush in an apparent attempt to avoid apprehension.

Agents began a search of the truck and found to people hiding in a crawl space under the truck’s toolbox. The agents then searched the horse trailer and found 16 people locked inside.

A search of the area led to the apprehension of four additional people who attempted to flee into the brush, officials said. Officials did not disclose if the human smuggler was among those apprehended.

In total, the agents arrested 22 illegal immigrants. Officials identified them as having come to the U.S. from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all 22 will likely face immediate expulsion to Mexico after a medical screening and criminal background check.

Agents conducted a records check on the truck and found out it had been reported stolen in New Braunfels, Texas (northeast of San Antonio). Border Patrol officials seized the trailer and turned the truck over to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office for disposition.

“Despite the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, smugglers continue to endanger the lives of individuals they exploit and the health and safety of our nation,” Laredo Sector officials said in a written statement. “It is the mission of U.S. Border Patrol agents to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity.  Laredo Sector agents’ core values are to maintain vigilance as they provide service with integrity.”