Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Smugglers Attempt to Use Airplane to Smuggle Migrants

Smugglers Attempt to Use Airplane to Smuggle Migrants

Release Date
Thu, 09/01/2022

EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents made 30 arrests from four migrant smuggling events. Agents interdicted a smuggling event at an airport and recovered a stolen vehicle.

On August 31, RGV agents received information of possible noncitizens attempting to board a private plane at the South Texas International Airport in Edinburg. Upon arrival, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers requested assistance with two vehicle pursuits that was initiated at the airport. Both vehicles eventually came to a stop, where multiple people were observed fleeing into the nearby brush. Agents arrested 13 noncitizens from the Dominican Republic and El Salvador. During the pursuit, a DPS vehicle was struck by one of the fleeing vehicles. DPS took custody of both drivers and vehicles.

Later that evening, McAllen Border Patrol Station (MCS) agents responded to a report of a suspicious Ford F250 near the Rio Grande in Los Ebanos. A Texas Constable working Operation StoneGarden encountered the truck and two subjects after the truck was immobilized in sand. Responding agents arrested four noncitizens in the brush running from the vehicle toward the Rio Grande. Edinburg Police Department officers arrived and took custody of the stolen vehicle and two U.S. citizens to face state charges.

Around noon yesterday, RGV agents investigated a residence in San Benito suspected of harboring noncitizens. Agents apprehended six migrants, all illegally present in the U.S. No caretaker was identified. 

Early this morning, MCS agents observed subjects load into a KIA near the Rio Grande in Hidalgo and depart the area. Agents located the vehicle and attempted to initiate a vehicle stop. The driver failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit. The vehicle stopped in an open field near Military Highway and the occupants bailed out. Agents apprehended three subjects. The driver was not located.

Border Patrol processed all subjects accordingly.

Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection.  Follow us on Twitter @CBPRGV and @USBPChiefRGV.

~CBP~

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

Last Modified: Sep 06, 2022