53 Migrants Arrested in 3 Stash Texas Stash House Raids near Border

Human smuggling stash house raids in the Rio Grande Valley Sector led to the arrests of 53 migrants being warehoused for transportation into the U.S. interior. The raids took place in three stash houses operated in two different counties near the Texas border with Mexico.

Rio Grande Sector Border Patrol agents teamed up with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Starr County Sheriff’s Office deputies on July 13 to carry out raids on two human smuggling stash houses on July 13, according to information obtained from Border Patrol officials. Acting on information received by law enforcement sources, the team went to a Starr County, Texas, residence and found 14 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.

Agents conducted immigration interviews and welfare checks on the 14 migrants and identified them as citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, officials stated. The agents transported the entire group to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station for processing.

Later that day, McAllen Station agents received information about another stash house near Pharr, Texas. The source said the house was being used to harbor smuggled migrants.

The agents identified three female migrants being held in the stash house. They were all illegally present in the U.S. The agents transported the women to the McAllen Station for processing. Agents did not find a smuggler at the residence.

The following morning, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Rio Grande City Station observed a group of migrants running from the brush into a garage of a residence near Roma, Texas, officials stated. The agent called for assistance from DPS troopers and Starr County deputies to investigate the suspected stash house operation.

The team entered the garage and found 36 migrants inside. Officials did not disclose the nationality or demographics of the group. They transported the migrants to the Rio Grande City Station for processing.