Smugglers Pack Migrant Children, Adults in Locked Trailer near Border in Texas

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents arrested three human smugglers and apprehended two groups of migrants locked inside commercial trailers. The arrests took place at the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint in Brooks County, Texas, approximately 80 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border.

Falfurrias Station agents assigned to the checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281 made two arrests of human smugglers attempting to move migrants into the U.S. interior, according to information obtained from RGV Sector Border Patrol officials.

Agents working the Falfurrias Checkpoint observed a Freightliner tractor-trailer approaching for inspection on the afternoon of January 17. During the initial interview, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted to the possible presence of drug or human cargo in the trailer area.

The agents referred the driver to a secondary inspection area where a search of the trailer led to the discovery of six Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S., officials stated. The migrants included four children between the ages of eight and 15 years.

The migrants, including the children, were locked inside the trailer between stacks of lumber and had no means of escape in the event of a crash or abandonment by the smugglers. Officials said the temperature inside the cargo area was in excess of 123 degrees.

Agents arrested the driver and the migrants and took them inside the checkpoint for processing, officials stated.

A few hours later, agents at the same checkpoint observed a Kenworth tractor approaching for inspection. The agents searched the trailer packed with produce and found five Central American migrants hiding inside. The migrants were locked inside, again with no means of escape.

Agents arrested the U.S. citizen driver and a Legally Admitted Permanent Resident passenger of the truck. The migrants were also placed under arrest and processed.