48 Migrants Found in Crowded New Mexico Stash House near Border

El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents teamed up with ICE agents and officers to disrupt a human smuggling operation in New Mexico. The effort resulted in the arrest of two human smugglers and 57 migrants from six countries.

Border Patrol agents patrolling near the El Paso International Airport over the weekend encountered a group of seven illegal aliens, according to information obtained from El Paso Sector Border Patrol officials.

During interviews with the migrants, Border Patrol agents learned of a stash house located in Chaparral, New Mexico. The agents contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations agents and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers to launch an investigation into the stash house operation, officials reported.

A raid in the suspected human smuggling stash house led to the discovery of 48 additional illegal immigrants who were packed inside the house. Officials also found two suspected human smugglers inside the home. At least one of the smugglers was an immigrant with Legal Permanent Resident Status.

Interviews with the apprehended migrants identified them as having come from Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

The operation led to the arrest of 57 migrants in total plus the two human smugglers.

This bust follows a recent raid on another human smuggling stash house in the city of El Paso. During that operation, officials arrested an additional 32 migrants.

“Border Patrol Agents, joined by HSI and ICE-DO identified a stash house with 48 illegal aliens inside a Chaparral, New Mexico residence,” stated El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “This incident demonstrates the continued exploitation by transnational criminal organizations who repeatedly use humans for profit regardless of the inherent risks including the potential for the spread of COVID-19 during the ongoing pandemic.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.