Border Patrol agents in Sierra Blanca, Texas, investigated a cargo trailer as it approached a highway checkpoint. As agents approached, they could hear people pounding on the walls hoping to escape. Agents say they rescued 25 Wednesday.
The cargo trailer was completely sealed from the outside, affording no ventilation or climate control. Temperatures in the region tend to rise and fall quickly during this time of year. Border Patrol agents found the migrants distraught, panicked, and crying from the ordeal.
On Tuesday, agents discovered 16 migrants including a child abandoned on an isolated road near a ghost town left unoccupied since World War II.
Less than one week ago, a smuggler piloting a small aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from the Presidio, Texas, airport and is the subject of a manhunt. Migrants were transported to El Paso for advanced medical care.
The increase in crossings in the west Texas region are keeping Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement busy. Migrant arrests in the Big Bend Sector have doubled in the first two months of the fiscal year when compared to the same time frame over the prior year.
Nationwide, the number of migrant rescues has increased as well. Rescues by the Border Patrol nationwide more than doubled in Fiscal Year 2021 when compared to the previous. According to CBP, nearly 13,000 migrants were rescued along the southwest border in Fiscal Year 2021.
According to the CBP spokesperson, Wednesday’s incident remains under investigation and additional details concerning the case are not available for release.
UPDATE: A spokesperson from Customs and Border Protection provided Breitbart Texas with additional information not originally released to the media. The spokesperson noted the agency erred in stating the cargo trailer was “abandoned” by human smugglers. Newly released information indicates a vehicle towing the cargo trailer arrived at the established Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, at which time the migrants were discovered. No information was released regarding the driver of the vehicle towing the trailer.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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