Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas– Human smugglers continue to jeopardize the safety of those they exploit for profit.
Friday evening, Mission Police Department received a call regarding a man being held against his will at a Mission, Texas, residence. Mission Police Officers requested assistance from McAllen Border Patrol agents after performing a welfare check at the location. When agents arrived at the residence, six illegal aliens were discovered in the home. Mission Police Officers successfully arrested a subject resisting arrest in his attempt to flee. A search of the home revealed a substantial amount of ammunition in one of the bedrooms. Mission Police Department also seized a rifle, ballistic vest, and a door breaching tool located in one of the rooms. The subjects were kept in inhospitable living conditions, as the house did not have running water and the only available food was expired and inedible.
Saturday afternoon, Rio Grande City agents observed multiple subjects run across an open field and load into an awaiting Chevrolet Equinox. Agents attempted to make contact with the vehicle as it fled from the area. The vehicle drove through a residential area attempting to evade agents, then rammed into two fences surrounding an open lot. After hitting a fence post, several subjects exited the vehicle and ran into nearby brush. A search of the immediate area revealed three subjects, later determined to be in the United States illegally. The driver of the vehicle was not located.
Sunday afternoon, McAllen agents received information of a Ford Explorer reported to have been involved in human smuggling. Penitas Police Officers encountered the vehicle and attempted to conduct a vehicle stop, however the vehicle failed to yield. The Ford Explorer eventually came to a stop south of Expressway 83 on Showers Road. The driver exited the vehicle and attempted to flee, but law enforcement personnel on scene were able to arrest the driver of the vehicle along with six additional passengers. Three of the six subjects were found to be unaccompanied juveniles. Border Patrol Agents determined all subjects, including the driver, were illegally present in the United States.
Additionally, Rio Grande City agents discovered 29 subjects harbored in a stash house. Border Patrol processed the cases and subjects accordingly.
Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
