DACA Recipient Busted for Human Smuggling, Says Border Patrol

Border Patrol agents arrested a DACA recipient for allegedly engaging in human smuggling. The arrest followed a high-speed pursuit after the Mexican national refused to stop at an immigration checkpoint.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 35 immigration checkpoint near Cotulla, Texas, observed a 2012 Mazda 6 attempting to avoid inspection by circumventing the checkpoint on July 21. When agents attempted to stop the Mazda, the driver failed to yield and led agents on a chase that ended south of Dilley, Texas, according to Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and deputies from the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the approximately 10-mile pursuit and eventually stopped the vehicle at mile marker 81.

Agents identified the driver as a Mexican national who received temporary protected status under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty program. Officials also identified the three passengers as illegal immigrants to came to the U.S. from Mexico.

The agents placed all four people under arrest. The driver will likely face prosecution for human trafficking and could lose the DACA program’s protections. The passengers will likely face charges for immigration violations.

“This enforcement action is another example of the partnership that exists between the United States Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies.  By working together, we are able to generate a greater impact on the criminal organizations that are threatening the safety of our community,” Laredo Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens said in a written statement.

In January, Laredo Sector agents arrested another DACA recipient for human smuggling, Breitbart Texas reported.

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper on routine highway patrol in Laredo stopped a Ford Focus with three people inside. After becoming suspicious, the trooper called U.S. Border Patrol agents for assistance in determining the identity of the vehicle’s passengers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

The agents identified a Mexican national who received temporary protected status under DACA.