Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents successfully disrupted four human smuggling attempts within a 30 hour period.
Yesterday morning, McAllen agents working in Los Ebanos, Texas, attempted to make contact with a Chevrolet Camaro exiting a community near the Rio Grande. As the Camaro made a complete stop, agents observed several subjects flee from the vehicle and into the brush. A search of the vicinity led to the discovery of one subject, a citizen of El Salvador. A female sitting in the front passenger seat was also determined to be illegally present in the United States. She advised that she was 37 weeks pregnant. The driver was placed under arrest and the female subject was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation.
Yesterday afternoon, McAllen agents were called to assist a Sullivan City Police Officer who conducted a vehicle stop near the Sam Fordyce Elementary School. Upon arrival, the agents discovered several subjects inside a Ford Mustang. The driver admitted to knowing the four subjects were illegally present in the United States and was transporting them further into the country. The Sullivan City Police Department took custody of the driver and the four illegal aliens were transported to the McAllen Border Patrol Station to be processed accordingly.
Later that day, McAllen agents working in La Joya, Texas, were flagged down by a La Joya Police Officer in need of assistance during a vehicle stop involving a Ford Escape. After interviewing the subjects, the driver, a Mexican national, admitted to attempting to smuggle five subjects further into the U.S. for $900.00 USD. The five subjects were determined to be illegally present and citizens of Guatemala and El Salvador.
Early this morning, a Pontiac Grand Am approached the Javier Vega Jr. Checkpoint for inspection. During the inspection, a service canine alerted to the rear of the vehicle. A search of the trunk area revealed three male subjects, citizens of Mexico, crammed inside. The Mexican nationals were medically evaluated and determined to be in good health. All subjects were taken into the checkpoint to be processed accordingly.
Border Patrol processed the cases and subjects accordingly.
The Rio Grande Valley Sector currently has multiple campaigns focused on rescues and danger awareness, such as “Operation Big Rig” and “No Se Arriesgue” to combat smuggling and ultimately save lives. Call 911 to report suspicious activity; “They’re humans, not cargo!”
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.
