EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents collaborated with state, county, and city law enforcement officers to disrupt multiple human smuggling events.
Yesterday morning, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents received an anonymous tip regarding possible migrants and weapons being harbored at a motel in Palmview, Texas. With the assistance from the Palmview Police Department, agents and officers apprehended four migrants in a motel room who were illegally present in the United States. No weapons were located.
Shortly after, RGV agents received information of a residence in Mission, Texas, being utilized to harbor illegal migrants. Agents, along with Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies, responded to the location and encountered four adults, determined to be migrants in the United States illegally. They were identified as nationals of Guatemala and Mexico.
Yesterday afternoon, a Weslaco Border Patrol Station agent spotted a black sports utility vehicle (SUV) heading toward a group of suspected migrants near the Rio Grande south of Donna, Texas. As agents responded to the area, they encountered the SUV abandoned, with the doors open. A search of the immediate area resulted in the apprehension of seven migrants. No driver was identified.
Today, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers requested the assistance of Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents to locate subjects which fled from a vehicle in Escobares, Texas. The vehicle drove through a fence and came to a stop near the Rio Grande. A coordinated search by agents, a K9 team, and troopers, resulted in the apprehension of eight migrants. The driver was not located.
Additionally, 33 migrants were arrested in a smuggling attempt utilizing a semi-tractor trailer at the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol Checkpoint.
All subjects are being processed accordingly.
Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements.
Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection. Follow us on Twitter @CBPRGV, @USBPChiefRGV and @USBPDepChiefRGV.
~CBP~