Smugglers Increase Use of Locked Railcars to Move Migrants into Texas

Border Patrol agents in Texas report an increase in the use of locked railcars to ship migrants into the U.S. interior. The practice is extremely dangerous as the migrants have no means of escape and temperatures can exceed well over 100 degrees.

Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens reported that Eagle Pass Station agents received information regarding a group of migrants locked inside rail cars. The agents arrived and found 50 migrants inside after cutting locks on the cars.

“This tactic is being used too frequently,” Chief Owens stated. “The value of human life is never considered.”

A few days earlier, Owens tweeted a photo of a locked auto-track hauler. Agents received a 911 activation from one of the vehicles inside the rail car. Agents from the Eagle Pass North Station responded and unlocked the doors. Inside, they found eight migrants with no means of escape.

Breitbart Texas frequently reports on the use of trains by human smugglers.  In March, Del Rio Sector agents found 40 migrants locked inside rail cars during a 48-hour period.

In one incident on February 28, Uvalde Station agents found a group of 25 migrants in a car hauler, Del Rio Sector officials reported. The migrants attempted to conceal themselves in the vehicles. Agents identified the migrants as citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Officials noted the temperature at the time was 31 degrees.

In two other incidents, Uvalde Station agents found 12 more migrants in car haulers after K-9 teams alerted to their presence. The migrants were locked inside the rail car with no means of escape, officials stated.