Multiple Human Smuggling Attempts Disrupted in Texas near Border

Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector interdicted multiple human smuggling attempts during the Labor Day weekend. The encounters led to the rescue of several migrants being transported in dangerous situations.

Falfurrias Station agents patrolling near Encino, Texas, in Brooks County, observed a GMC Yukon that was filled beyond capacity on Friday night. As the agents attempted to stop the vehicle the driver veered off the road and the occupants fled into the brush, according to information received from Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.

Smuggler flees from USBP Checkpoint with 3 migrants trapped in the trunk. The migrants were taken for a wild ride down HWY 77 before agents located the vehicle abandoned off the highway.

This was 1 of 5 human smuggling cases disrupted this weekend.https://t.co/4LTbH923sa pic.twitter.com/nysPGkfrMN

— Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings (@USBPChiefRGV) September 8, 2021

After the vehicle crashed through a rancher’s fence south of the Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281, the driver and multiple migrants fled into the brush. Six other people remained in the SUV. The agents processed the migrants under RGV Sector guidelines. Agents were unable to locate the human smuggler who drove the vehicle.

Later that evening, agents assigned to the Javier Vega, Jr. Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 77 observed a white Buick LaCrosse approaching for inspection. As the agent interviewed the driver, a K-9 alerted to an odor it is trained to detect. The agent referred the driver to a secondary inspection station.

The driver refused to comply and fled from the checkpoint. Other agents began to pursue the vehicles it fled northbound on the highway. As the pursuit began, agents observed another vehicle, a BMW make a U-turn and drive southbound on Highway 77. Some agents broke off from the first pursuit and took off after the BMW.

Agents eventually caught up with the Buick after it pulled off the side of the roadway. Agents found three migrants locked inside the trunk of the vehicle.

The pursuit of the BMW continued for an extended period of time. Deputies from the Willacy County Sheriff’s Office encountered the BMWW near Raymondville and eventually brought the pursuit to a close.

The driver and another passenger fled from the vehicle into a nearby residence, officials stated. The deputies detained a woman who remained in the vehicle.

Deputies pursued the driver into the residence and took him into custody. A records check uncovered several criminal warrants. The deputies arrested the man and Border Patrol agents took the female passenger into custody for human smuggling charges.

Other agents patrolling Highway 281 near San Manuel, Texas, observed a Chevrolet Silverado pulling a utility trainer in an area well known for human smuggling. The agents began following the truck which eventually slowed down and pulled onto the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle came to a stop and the driver and several subjects fled on foot.

The agents found ten Central American migrants in the cab of the truck. They were unable to find the driver.

McAllen Station agents patrolling the Rio Grande near Mission, Texas, on Saturday afternoon observed a red Chrysler 200 sedan in a suspicious area. As the agents approached the vehicle, several people exited the vehicle and fled into the brush.

A search of the underbrush led to the arrest of eight migrants from El Salvador and Guatemala, officials reported. The agents also arrested the driver and a front-seat passenger.

Kingsville agents assigned to the Javier Vega Checkpoint on Sunday evening observed a black Jeep Commander with two visible passengers approaching for inspection. During an initial inspection, a K-9 alerted to an odor it is trained to detect. A secondary inspection uncovered a passenger concealed under blankets in the rear of the vehicle. Agents searched the vehicle and found two grams of methamphetamine and two pipes. The agents arrested the driver and passenger and turned them over to the Kenedy County Sheriff’s office for the drug charges.

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 and Facebook.