Migrants Found in Tractor-Trailer Load of Onions near Border in Texas

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended 67 migrants in five failed human smuggling events on May 3. In one of the incidents, agents found 25 migrants packed in a tractor-trailer hauling a load of onions.

Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings tweeted photos of a group of migrants found by Kingsville Station agents hiding in a trailer loaded with onions on the morning of May 3. The agents found the migrants after a K-9 assigned to the Javier Vega, Jr. Immigration Checkpoint alerted to the possible presence of drug or human cargo coming from the trailer.

Agents referred the driver to a secondary inspection station where a search led to the discovery of 25 migrants hiding in the load of produce. Agents identified the migrants as citizens of Central American nations.

Later that morning, McAllen Station agents received a request for assistance from La Joya Police Department officers regarding a traffic stop. Agents responded and determined the driver and the six passengers were not lawfully present in the United States, according to information obtained from Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials. Police officers seized the vehicle and arrested the driver who will face state charges relating to human smuggling. The agents identified the migrants as citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. The agents transported the smuggled migrant to the station for processing.

Shortly after noon, agents teamed up with Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies to investigate a suspected human smuggling stash house. The agents observed several migrants fleeing from the house as they approached. A search led to the arrest of 16 migrants. A caretaker for the stash house was not identified.

Later in the day, Hidalgo County deputies called for assistance regarding a vehicle pursuit In that went into Willacy County. After deputies stopped the vehicle, agents identified seven migrants as being illegally present in the United States.

Finally, Kingsville Station agents patrolling U.S. Highway 77 near Norias, Texas, attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle for an immigration inspection. The driver failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit. When the vehicle finally stopped, the occupants bailed out and attempted to flee into the brush. Agents search the area and arrested seven migrants. A search for the driver came up empty-handed.

In total, the agents apprehended 67 migrants in the five failed human smuggling incidents.