Border Patrol agents operating in Brooks County (Falfurrias) rescued a pregnant woman and a man who were lost in the brush. In a separate incident, agents at the Falfurrias checkpoint rescued 36 undocumented aliens who were being smuggled in a refrigerated trailer. The discovery of the shivering immigrants was made after a Border Patrol K-9 alerted agents.
On Saturday, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from the man traveling with the pregnant woman. The man said they were lost in the brush and were in a “dire situation” because of the weather, according to a Border Patrol document received by Breitbart Texas. The weather in the area was in the low fifties for most of the day and the lost immigrants were suffering from exposure after a night in the low forties. Brooks County dispatchers notified the Border Patrol of the situation, according to Chief Deputy Benny Martinez. The agents were able to track and locate the lost individuals and rescue them before they succumbed to the weather. They were transported to the Falfurrias Station for processing.
On Sunday morning, a K-9 working at the Falfurrias Checkpoint, 80 miles from the Texas/Mexico border, alerted agents to the presence of human cargo in a refrigerated trailer. Agents had the driver move the truck to the secondary inspection area where they discovered thirty-six people being smuggled in a dangerously cold trailer. The Border Patrol said that rescues like this “highlight the risks ruthless criminal organizations take with immigrants’ lives for monetary gain.” The immigrants declined medical treatment and were detained for processing. The driver was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for prosecutions.
“Nearly twenty bodies have been found so far this year in Brooks County,” said Chief Martinez in a conversation with this writer. “In this case, the Border Patrol agents were able to quickly locate the two lost immigrants, including the pregnant woman, and rescue them. If the man did not have a cell phone, the situation could have become much worse. The immigrants being smuggled in the trailer is a very common events that can sometimes lead to catastrophic outcomes.”
Martinez worked with Donna ISD Police Sergeant Daniel Walden in creating a reserve corps of volunteer peace officers to serve as reserve deputies. The goal of the Border Brotherhood of Texas was to help the poorest county in Texas increase its law enforcement capabilities at a minimal cost to the taxpayers. The non-paid reserve deputies have increased the law enforcement presence in the heavily rural county that is nearly 1,000 square miles. Prior to the creation of this group, they county could only afford four patrol deputies. This increase in resources has led to the rescue and capture of many additional illegal immigrants in the county as well as decreased response times for residents needing service. Martinez was also instrumental in securing additional funds for the county as well as manpower from the Texas State Guard, who have worked to find additional remains of deceased illegal immigrants and the rescue of others.
Last summer, Border Patrol agents working the same checkpoint discovered another 18-wheeler carrying a load of human cargo among its produce haul, as previously reported by Breitbart Texas. Reports consistently show that Brooks County, part of the Rio Grande Border Patrol Sector, is where more immigrants are captured that most of the other Texas sectors. Approximately 35,000 illegal immigrants were captured or rescued in Brooks County during 2014. Brooks County is located 80-100 miles from the border.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and on Facebook.
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