EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents arrest 86 migrants in two stash houses and apprehend an additional 75 migrants in three northbound smuggling attempts.
Yesterday morning, Kingsville Border Patrol Station agents working near Riviera, Texas, attempted to stop a black Lincoln MKX. The vehicle failed to yield to agents and drove off road and through a ranch fence. The vehicle, ultimately, came to a stop in a flooded area just inside of the property. The driver and the three passengers were all illegally present migrants and were taken into Border Patrol custody.
Yesterday afternoon, RGV agents received information regarding a Mission, Texas, abandoned business office being used to harbor illegally present migrants. RGV agents encountered a male subject at the location who admitted to being illegally present in the United States and stated there were several more migrants inside. Agents discovered 46 more migrants hiding inside the building. Agents also observed piles of trash stacked to the ceiling, suggesting the location was being used for some time. No caretaker was identified.
Two hours later, McAllen Police Department officers requested assistance from the Weslaco Border Patrol Station at a residence where several subjects were utilizing a home as a “stash house”. Responding authorities discovered 39 adult migrants inside of the home. The migrants are citizens of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador. No caretaker was identified.
Yesterday evening, a concerned citizen reported a white Ford F-150 picking up several subjects just north of the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint. Agents located the vehicle and attempted to make a stop when the vehicle failed to yield. The pick-up truck continued on to FM 2295 where it briefly pulled over to the side of the road and five subjects absconded into the nearby brush. The truck continued on a few more miles and then came to a stop as the driver exited the vehicle in an attempt to abscond. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers working alongside agents, located the driver and passenger, two female U.S. citizens, as well as an illegally present migrant. Border Patrol took custody of the subjects.
Additionally, 75 subjects were arrested in three separate smuggling attempts utilizing a motor home and semi-tractor trailers.
Border Patrol processed all subjects 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~