U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Laredo Sector apprehended 16 illegal aliens this week. Agents rescued five migrants after cartel-connected human smugglers abandoned them in the scorching heat after they called 911 for assistance.
Agents apprehended 10 others when a Cuban citizen attempted to smuggle the illegal aliens into the country in a refrigerated tractor-trailer, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
The agents that serve the southwest border reported they rescued and apprehended foreign nationals from Mexico and El Salvador in five separate incidents over a six-day period.
Two Mexican nationals called 911 for assistance after they became lost in the brush in the 95-degree heat on July 8. Agents found the illegal aliens on a ranch just northwest of Laredo, Texas. Laredo is on the north bank of the Rio Grande River. Officials treated the pair for heat exhaustion.
Again on July 8, agents rescued another Mexican national on a ranch northwest of Laredo. Like the two saved the day before, human smugglers abandoned the migrant and called for help after he became lost on a sweltering Texas day. He was luckier because agents reached him while he was still in good health. Later the same day, Border Patrol agents rescued another Mexican citizen under similar circumstances and in a similar location after he called for assistance.
The fourth rescue happened on July 13 when Border Patrol agents recovered two illegal aliens on a ranch near Hebbronville, Texas. Hebbronville is in Jim Hogg County which is located more than two hours from the nearest Texas border crossing. They, like the others rescued by the Border Patrol agents this week, called for help after being left by human smugglers in the sand and brush in the Texas summer heat. These illegal immigrants originated from El Salvador.
On July 14, agents at the Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 apprehended ten Mexican nationals after finding them locked in a refrigerated trailer. They arrested the driver who was from Cuba. Under new policies from the Department of Justice, he could possibly face prosecution on human smuggling charges.
“These criminal organizations view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety,” said Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.
Acosta added, “The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and prosecute those responsible.”
Breitbart Texas continues to expose the plight of illegal aliens who are abandoned by smugglers, most who are linked to Mexican cartels. Several of these criminal organizations make an estimated one-third or more of their profits from smuggling human beings.
Just a few days ago, Breitbart Texas reported that human smugglers left a woman hanging from a border fence 15 feet in the air in southern Arizona.
Border Patrol agents have rescued migrants, including small children, thrown in the river by smugglers, or who were drowning in the river that separates Texas from the Mexico. Agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector rescued 11 illegal immigrants in late 2016 who had been abandoned in the middle of the river by cartel-connected human smugglers. The agents responded to a life-threatening situation after coyotes forced a raft to capsize, tossing seven children (including an infant) and four adults into the water.
Women are also sexually assaulted by smugglers at the various stash houses along the way. They even rape females during the long hikes in the sand and desert. Rape trees stand as a monument of power and control to those being trafficked. Coyotes remove an article of clothing from the female they rape and tie it to a tree. They terrorize the women into submission.
Corpses of those abandoned, even as far as 90 miles from the Texas-Mexico border, overwhelm small Texas counties. Smugglers tell their human cargo that their destination is only a short distance; in reality, many times it is days and miles away. They are often supplied with inadequate water and food. If an illegal alien gets injured or becomes weak from dehydration, they are left to die.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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