Migrant Found Stashed Under SUV Floorboard at Texas Border Checkpoint

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents found groups of migrants being smuggled in dangerous situations. One included a migrant stuffed under the floorboard of an SUV.

Falfurrias Station Border Patrol agents assigned to the immigration checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281 on March 27 observed a Ford Explorer approaching for inspection. During the initial contact, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted to a scent it is trained to detect. The agents directed the SUV to a secondary inspection station, according to information provided by Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.

During the secondary inspection, agents found a migrant stuffed into an aftermarket compartment created behind the rear seats and under the floorboard. Officials said the migrant was exposed to the roadway while hidden in the compartment.

The following day, agents at the same checkpoint referred a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban to the secondary inspection area after noticing suspicious behavior from the driver — a Cuban national, officials reported. During the secondary inspection, the agents found four migrants concealed under blankets in the rear cargo area of the SUV. Agents identified the migrants as citizens of Central American nations.

Later that afternoon, McAllen Station agents observed suspicious behavior as a group of migrants loaded into a Ford Explorer near Granjeno, Texas. The agents stopped the vehicle and identified seven migrants from Central American nations and Mexico. The agents arrested the migrants and the U.S. citizen driver.

Rio Grande City Station agents received a call from the Starr County Sheriff’s Office on March 28 requesting assistance in a traffic stop. The deputy found a vehicle suspected in a human smuggling operation. Agents arrived and identified 17 people as migrants from Central America and Mexico. All were illegally present in the U.S.

The driver absconded from the scene and could not be located. Agents arrested the migrants and the sheriff’s office seized the smuggling vehicle.