180 Migrants Found in 3 Texas Stash Houses near Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 180 migrants in three human smuggling stash houses. The arrests came in raids on three residences in the Laredo, Texas, area within hours of each other on May 4.

Laredo South Border Patrol Station agents and the Laredo Special Operations Detachment (SOD) teamed up with ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and Webb County Constables Office (WCCO) Precinct 2 deputies to investigate a possible human smuggling stash house located in central Laredo, according to information obtained from Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

The law enforcement team conducted a welfare check on the residence and found 68 migrants who were illegally present in the United States.

Later that day, Laredo South Station agents received information about a second human smuggling operation at a house located in south Laredo. The law enforcement team arrived and found 50 more migrants packed inside the residence.

The team assembled once again Tuesday night to investigate a third possible stash house for the day. In this incident, the law enforcement team discovered 65 migrants.

In total the team arrested more than 180 migrants, all illegally present in the United States, officials stated. The agents identified the migrants as foreign nationals from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Officials said none of the migrants packed inside the houses wore PPP equipment to deter the spread of COVID-19.

“All of the people rescued from these Stash Houses were being held against their will,” Laredo Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Carl E. Landrum said in a written statement. “Human Smuggling/Trafficking are dangerous situations.  Please help others by reporting suspicious situations you see; you just might save a life.”

Agents provided the migrants with PPP and transported them to the station for processing.