Three Smuggling Interdictions Lead to the Arrest of 15 Subjects

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents were led on two vehicle pursuits and discovered a hotel room being used to harbor migrants.

On August 17, RGV agents were led on a vehicle pursuit by the driver of a Dodge Ram near San Manuel. The pursuit came to a stop when the vehicle drove through a ranch fence and all its occupants fled into the brush. A search of the area lead to the apprehension of two migrants.  The driver was not located. 

The following morning, Weslaco Border Patrol Station agents working surveillance duties observed multiple subjects entering a Ford F150 near the Rio Grande. Responding agents and local law enforcement agencies attempted to conduct a vehicle stop, however, the vehicle refused to stop. The driver veered off the road and multiple subjects, including the driver, absconded from the vehicle. Agents were able to apprehend seven people in the immediate area. All individuals were illegally present in the country.

That same day, the McAllen Border Patrol Station received information of possible noncitizens being harbored at a hotel in Mission.  Agents and law enforcement authorities responded to the hotel and encountered six people determined to be in the U.S. illegally. No principal was identified at the location.