On Sunday, Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents responded to a call for assistance from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office concerning an abandoned semi-trailer found on Texas Highway 59, approximately 18 miles east of the city. The trailer had been consumed by fire. Suspecting foul play and a possible connection to human trafficking, responding deputies alerted federal counterparts for assistance.
Border Patrol agents noticed the freight seal on the trailer lock had been removed, indicating a recent opening. The semi-tractor truck that once pulled the trailer was nowhere to be found.
After searching a brushy area nearby, agents were able to locate and arrest 64 migrants in hiding. The migrants claimed to have escaped from the trailer after someone opened the door, but otherwise, offered no clues as to the cause of the fire. The migrants were determined to be from Guatemala and Mexico.
Although the Border Patrol has undertaken efforts to prevent this type of smuggling, it is still a difficult task. Border Patrol agents in the area commonly encounter migrants being trafficked in commercial semi-tractor trailers. Recently, agents arrested more than 300 in one week.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates more than 2 million commercial vehicles enter the United States through Laredo every year. The area also draws domestic truckers from all over the country. It is not easy to build a profile when investigating a case of this nature.
A CBP spokesperson tells Breitbart Texas the agency also works with the Texas Department of Public Safety in a program known as “Texas Hold-Em.” This penalizes commercial drivers who are caught attempting to smuggle humans or other contraband by revoking their commercial vehicle license for life.
This method of human trafficking can have deadly consequences. In April 2018, a federal judge sentenced 61–year–old Louisville, KY, truck driver James Matthew Bradley, Jr. to life in prison without parole for his role in a migrant smuggling operation which resulted in 10 deaths. Bradley was arrested after a truck he was driving was found abandoned in a San Antonio, Texas, parking lot in 2017.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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