Law enforcement officers in Zavala County, Texas, had their hands full with high-speed pursuits, vehicle crashes, and the associated private property damage resulting from migrant smuggling activities during the first ten days of April. The small sheriff’s department in the county located 30 miles from the Rio Grande was involved in twenty-four such cases in the first ten days of the month.
Zavala County Chief Deputy Ricardo Rios told Breitbart Texas the dangerous human smuggling incidents are becoming more frequent as time goes by. “This is getting worse by the day,” Rios said. “Last month was bad, now it’s worse.”
Deputies find a group of migrants locked in the rear of a human smuggler’s vehicle. (Zavala County Sheriff’s Office)
The encounters often end when migrant smugglers crash vehicles after frequently lengthy pursuits on isolated farm-to-market roads and state highways traversing the county. The deputies, often working alone, are outnumbered by the occupants of the vehicles who flee into nearby ranches making arrests difficult. Often, the human smugglers and the migrants they are transporting elude apprehension.
Even though some suspects and migrants escaped, the damage done during the incident remains as a reminder of the consequences of the illicit activity on local property owners and residents who are growing frustrated with the situation.
The county experienced a surge in migrant smuggling in recent months, Breitbart Texas reported. Despite the overwhelming odds of eluding apprehension favoring the smugglers, the department managed to arrest ten human smugglers in the twenty-four incidents so far this month. Fourteen suspected smugglers managed to escape pursuing deputies. An untold number of migrants fled from the deputies. However, deputies arrested 50 migrants were arrested during the incidents. The migrants arrested according to Rios are subsequently turned over to Border Patrol agents.
Deputies find a group of migrants locked in the cargo area of a U-Haul cargo truck. (Zavala County Sheriff’s Office)
The smugglers, according to Rios, often travel to the border region hoping to make a quick buck. Offers on social media websites provide the drivers with “pin drop” markers letting them know where they can find the migrants waiting for transportation. The messages include an offer of up to several thousand dollars to provide the illegal transportation. The smugglers at times are from the larger metropolitan areas near Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, according to Rios. Others involve residents from farther away who accept online offers to make what they believe to be easy money.
One smuggler encountered in early April was a Cuban national smuggling multiple migrants in a commercial moving truck. The migrants were discovered in the closed rear cargo area of the truck. When stopped by one of Rios’ deputies, the occupants fled into a nearby ranch. With the help of a Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Trooper and his K-9, the driver and four migrants were arrested. The rest managed to escape.
Rios says the county is receiving support from the Texas Highway Patrol and the limited number of Border Patrol agents in the area. Although the help is valuable to the department, Rios says it’s not enough to eliminate the traffic or to make a dent in the increased encounters involving the migrant smugglers.
The task of combating the increase in migrant smugglers continues to threaten the department’s ability to provide traditional law enforcement functions in the county. Rios says Sheriff, Eusevio Salinas, is committed to making sure county residents receive the full services of his department despite the added workload. Several high-profile arrests in the community involving sexual assaults highlight the department’s ability to multi-task Rios says.
Under current Texas law, human smugglers can face stiff penalties. Suspects arrested and charged under a Texas statute for Smuggling of Persons, which currently is a third-degree felony, carries fines up to $10,000 and a prison term between two and 10 years.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has asked the currently convened Texas Legislature to increase the criminal penalties for human smuggling in hopes of creating an even stronger deterrent to the illegal activity many Texas communities are experiencing.
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.