Human Smuggler Crashes After Vehicle Pursuit near Border in Texas

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents disrupted a human smuggling attempt, leading to a vehicle pursuit and crash. Two migrants and the alleged smuggler were transported to a hospital near Eagle Pass, Texas, for treatment.

Two Eagle Pass South Station Border Patrol agents observed a vehicle they believed to be engaged in human smuggling near the El Indio Highway. The driver of the Ford Fiesta sped off and agents lost sight of the vehicle at some point, according to information obtained from Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

After finding the vehicle again, the agents engaged their emergency lights in an effort to stop the fleeing suspected smuggler. The driver failed to yield and led the agents on a pursuit.

The driver eventually lost control of the Fiesta and crashed into a city light pole and a private property fence, officials stated.

The agents found four migrants in the vehicle. After an immigration interview, the agents identified the four migrants as Guatemalan nationals. They identified the driver as a juvenile migrant with legal permanent resident status.

An EMS crew arrived and transported two of the migrants injured in the crash and the 17-year-old driver to a nearby hospital. Doctors evaluated the injuries and released the migrants and the driver later in the day, officials reported.

The four migrants were processed under CBP guidelines that currently call for their expulsion to Mexico under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols. Officials did not disclose the disposition of the alleged human smuggler.

Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement officials report an increase in the number of vehicle pursuits as smugglers attempt to move their human cargo into the U.S. interior. These dangerous pursuits often end in crashes like the one above.