Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents raided four human smuggling stash houses near the Texas border with Mexico during the past week. The raids led to the apprehension of nearly 100 migrants who were recently smuggled across the border. Additionally, agents found 24 migrants stashed in three vehicles being driven by suspected human smugglers.
Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents patrolling near Roma, Texas, early Tuesday morning observed a group of people climbing into a white pickup truck near the border. As the agents attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver drove away and attempted to evade arrest, according to information provided by Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.
As the driver attempted to flee, he lost control and struck a light pole. The crash disabled the pickup truck, officials stated. Some of the occupants and the driver attempted to flee from the scene. Agents conducted a search of the vehicle and surrounding area and found 12 suspected illegal immigrants.
None of the migrants sustained serious injuries from the crash. Agents were unable to locate the driver.
One day earlier, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies contacted Border Patrol agents about a suspected human smuggling stash house located in Alamo, Texas. The agents joined the other law enforcement officers and conducted a raid on the residence. Inside, they discovered 15 people packed inside.
Agents conducted immigration interviews and identified nine as Mexican nationals and six and citizens of Peru. They identified three of the Mexican nationals as unaccompanied minors, officials stated.
Later that day, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies received information from a concerned caller about a suspected stash house. Weslaco Station agents joined with the deputies to investigate the residence located in Edinburg, Texas.
Once inside, the agents identified six migrants as being illegally present in the United States. Agents identified three of the migrants as Mexican nationals. The other three came to the U.S. from Guatemala.
On December 17, Rio Grande City Station agents observed multiple people loading into a silver Dodge Challenger. As agents activated their emergency lights, the driver reportedly refused to yield and attempted to evade apprehension. The driver bailed out of the vehicle following a short pursuit. A search of the area led to the arrest of five more migrants who were being smuggled into the U.S. interior.
McAllen Station agents working near Mission, Texas, on December 16, investigated suspected illegal activity near the border. The agents observed several people loading into a Chevrolet Camaro. The agents stopped the vehicle and interviewed the driver and front-seat passenger — both U.S. citizens.
The agents observed seven people crammed into the back seat — all illegally present in the U.S., officials reported. During the investigation, the front-seat passenger admitted to recently testing positive for COVID-19. The agents reported that none of the occupants wore masks or protective gear to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Later that day, Rio Grande City Station agents met up with local police officers to investigate a suspected human smuggling stash house in Rio Grande City, Texas. Once inside, the agents found 28 migrants — all illegally present in the United States. An immigration interview identified the migrants as residents of Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
During a raid of another stash house, agents found an additional 48 migrants.
In total, the agents apprehended a total of 118 smuggled migrants in less than one week.
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 Sunday-morning talk show, What’s Your Point? Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.
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