Migrant Smuggling via Trains Jumps 900 Percent in One Texas Border Sector

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents report a massive increase in the number of migrants being dangerously smuggled on trains by more than 900 percent over the same period last year.

During Fiscal Year 2021, which began on October 1, 2020, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents 3,390 migrants during train-check operations near Uvalde, Texas. This compares to only 372 during the same period in FY2020 — an increase of 911 percent, Uvalde Sector Border Patrol officials said in a written statement.

“Uvalde Station continues to see a troubling increase in migrants encountered during train check operations,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II said in a written statement. “They are found hiding in many dangerous storage areas to avoid detection, putting their lives at risk. With the increase in temperatures during the summer months, this mode of transportation could turn deadly.”

Earlier this month, agents in the neighboring Laredo Sector rescued a migrant woman after she injured her foot while attempting to board a moving train, Breitbart Texas reported.

She held onto the train in an attempt to pull herself onboard. Instead, the migrant woman lost her grip and fell under the accelerating train. Her fall resulted in severe injury to her foot, officials reported.

Agents in the Del Rio and Laredo Sectors apprehended 40 migrants in two other rail car smuggling attempts this week.