Human TraffickingNews

Two Failed Smuggling Attempts Lead to 21 Arrests

Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector (RGV) agents interdicted two human smuggling attempts resulting in 21 apprehensions.

On Jan. 12, RGV agents received information of a residence in Roma possibly being used to harbor migrants. Agents and Starr County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the location and encountered 16 migrants from Central America, Nicaragua, and Mexico illegally present in the United States. No caretaker was identified. At the residence, agents encountered an abundance of cold/flu medication and unsanitary conditions commonly found at migrant stash houses, where migrants are unable to adequately social distance.

The following day, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents observed suspicious activity and attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on a Dodge Durango near Madero, Texas. As the vehicle came to a stop, multiple people fled. A search of the immediate area resulted in the apprehension of five migrants from Mexico and the Dominican Republic, to include the driver.