273 Migrants Apprehended in Two Texas Border Crossings

Rio Grande Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended two large migrant groups after they illegally crossed the Mexican border into Texas within a few days of each other.

Rio Grande City Station agents encountered a large group composed of migrant families crossing the border on Saturday morning near Roma, Texas, according to information obtained from Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.

Agents said the group of 145 consisted of 138 family members and seven single adults. Immigration interviews determined the migrants came from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Agents from the same sector patrolling the border near La Grulla, Texas, on Monday morning came across another large group who illegally crossed the border. Agents reported the 128 migrants came to the U.S. from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The group consisted of 18 unaccompanied alien children, 105 family members, and five single adults.

Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings tweeted that his agents are currently apprehending approximately 2,200 migrants per day.

“Smugglers continue exploiting vulnerable populations and profiting from this daily situation,” the chief said.

So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2020, agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector apprehended 70 large groups. Border Patrol classifies a large group as 100 or more migrants crossing in a single incident.

“Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation,” officials stated.