Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents disrupted several human smuggling attempts over the weekend. The interdictions led to the apprehension of 161 migrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Texas.
Rio Grande Valley Sector agents received a request for assistance from the Starr County Sheriff’s Office regarding a suspected human smuggling stash house operation in Garceno, Texas, late last week, according to information provided by Border Patrol officials. When the agents arrived at the mobile home, they found a large group of men, women, and children crammed inside the trailer with no personal protection equipment.
HAPPENING NOW:#RGV Agents discover 71 illegal aliens in trailer home. The discovery was made in Garceno, Texas. Smugglers continue to cram large groups into deplorable conditions where PPE and social distancing is impossible.#USBP #BorderSecurity pic.twitter.com/EiPI3mnWN9
— Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings (@USBPChiefRGV) January 22, 2021
Agents determined there were 71 people crammed into the small mobile home. An immigration interview identified them as illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Later on January 21, Corpus Christi Station agents received a call for assistance from San Patricio County officials regarding a possible group of migrants hidden inside a moving rail grain hopper, officials reported. One of the migrants trapped inside the rail car called 911 for assistance saying they feared for their safety.
RGV agents rescued 91 illegal aliens in 3 separate incidents. In one case, 14 subjects were rescued from a train car after they became trapped. Additionally, a rescue beacon activation in Mission, TX, led to the discovery of 48 subjects. Lastly, 28 were found in a stash house. pic.twitter.com/DLrnvdM1l4
— Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings (@USBPChiefRGV) January 22, 2021
Agents responded and rescued 14 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. A medical screening determined all 14 to be in good health.
That night, lost migrants activated a rescue beacon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. Agents responded and found 48 people who had illegally crossed the border river. Officials stated that one of the migrants requested medical attention after injuring her ankle during her border crossing attempt. Agents arranged to transport the woman to a hospital for treatment. Doctors treated the woman and released her to Border Patrol agents.
Elsewhere, RGV Sector agents responded to a reported stash house in Hidalgo County, Texas. The agents “apprehended 28 illegal aliens” within the stash house.
In total, agents apprehended 161 migrants in the four incidents. Of those, 90 were counted as migrant rescues.
The migrants will be removed to Mexico under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CBP officials reported that approximately 90 percent of all apprehended migrants who illegally cross the border are returned to Mexico or their country of origin — mostly within two hours of their apprehension.
“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,” officials said in a written statement.
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 Sunday-morning talk show, What’s Your Point? Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.
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