Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents continue to disrupt smuggling attempts throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
Saturday, Rio Grande Valley Sector agents working near La Gloria, Texas, attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on a Toyota Sequoia. As agents activated their emergency lights, the vehicle failed to yield. After a brief pursuit, the vehicle came to a stop and multiple subjects exited the vehicle in an attempt to evade agents. A search of the area led to the discovery of four illegal aliens.
Sunday morning, agents working at the Falfurrias checkpoint referred a tractor trailer for secondary inspection after a K-9 alerted to it. A search of the trailer revealed 13 illegal aliens attempting to conceal themselves amongst the commodity. Agents arrested the driver and the illegal aliens and escorted them to the station for processing. Border Patrol agents determined the smuggled aliens were from the countries of Mexico and El Salvador.
Sunday afternoon, McAllen agents working near Mission, Texas, attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on a blue sports utility vehicle (SUV) suspected of human smuggling. Agents activated their emergency lights but the vehicle failed to yield. The vehicle traveled towards Expressway 83 then continued eastbound on the frontage road before stopping near Shary Road. Agents arrested the driver and all six passengers who were determined to be in the country illegally.
Later in the day, McAllen agents working in Los Ebanos, Texas, received information of a human smuggling attempt involving a grey SUV. Shortly thereafter, Sullivan City Police Department (SCPD) requested assistance from agents at a vehicle stop they conducted on a vehicle matching the description. Responding agents arrived and interviewed a total of seven subjects. Agents determined five of the subjects, all Chinese nationals, were illegally present in the country. Border Patrol took custody of the illegal aliens and transported them to the station for processing. SCPD took custody of the driver, passenger and vehicle.
Border Patrol processed the cases accordingly.
Operation Big Rig is a call to action for the community to get involved and call 911 if they see or are aware of smuggling or suspicious activity, “They’re humans, not cargo.”
