19 Migrants Apprehended on Train in Texas near Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a group of migrants as they attempted to make their way into the U.S. interior by hiding in a grain hopper train car. The agents arrested 13 from the hopper and six more hiding elsewhere on the train.

Hebbronville agents conducted a routine train inspection near Bruni, Texas, on September 20. During the search, agents found 13 people locked inside a grain hopper rail car. “None of the individuals found in the cramped quarters were wearing any personal protective equipment (PPE),” Laredo Sector officials said in a written statement.

The agents removed the 13 illegal immigrants from the grain hopper and provided an initial medical screening. They then placed the migrants under arrest for immigration violations.

During a search of the rest of the train, agents found six more people hiding on different parts of the train, officials stated.

“Hebbronville station agents encountered another train case in which smuggled aliens were trapped inside a small confined space; this time completely locked in with no means of escape,” Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said in a written statement. “These dangerous and potentially deadly tactics used by smugglers and illegal aliens continue to put the aliens and their rescuers at significant risk and significantly increase the potential spread of COVID-19.”

The agents identified the 19 migrants as citizens of Mexico and Guatemala. All were illegally present in the United States, officials stated.

Under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all 19 will likely be expelled to Mexico after completing a medical screening and clearing a criminal background investigation. CBP officials told Breitbart Texas previously that 92 percent of migrants apprehended since the start of Title 42 in late March have been returned to Mexico or Canada — depending on where they entered the U.S. — most within two hours of their apprehension.

Earlier this month, Hebbronville Station agents conducted another train inspection and found a group of 11 migrants packed inside a grain hopper rail car, Breitbart Texas reported. Temperatures inside the car reached in excess of 106 degrees, Breitbart Texas reported. One of the migrants required immediate medical attention after he fell unconscious after being removed from the rail car. Agents later learned the man who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico was infected with the Coronavirus. An area hospital confirmed the infection and provided medical treatment. At last report, the migrant was in intensive care.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.