Ten Human Smugglers Busted in Six Hours near Border in Texas

Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents arrested ten human smugglers in a six-hour period on Friday. The agents also apprehended more than 50 migrants in the failed human smuggling attempts.

Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens tweeted a report that Carrizo Springs Station agents teamed up with law enforcement partners to interdict five human smuggling incidents in a six-hour period. The teamwork led to the arrest of ten human smugglers and more than 50 migrants.

Yesterday, agents from the Carrizo Springs Station, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, interdicted 5 smuggling attempts in less than 6 hours.

The result: 10 criminal smugglers are in custody and more than 50 smuggled subjects will be identified and processed! pic.twitter.com/5BBNKlxCbo

— Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens (@USBPChiefDRT) March 5, 2022

Across the sector, agents continue to apprehend large migrant groups, Chief Owens stated in another tweet. Earlier this week, the agents apprehended nearly 150 migrants in two groups. The groups illegally crossed the border in two separate areas, he reported.

“This places a major operational strain on our resources due to the increased humanitarian needs, but our agents quickly adjust to meet the challenge,” the chief stated.

In January, the last month of available numbers, the Del Rio Sector became the number one sector for apprehensions. Agents arrested 30,773 migrants in January — an increase of 176 percent over the previous year, according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

During the first four months of the fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2021, the Del Rio Sector reported the apprehension of 122,476 migrants — up 227 percent from the same period in FY21.