Border Patrol Arrests Over 160 Illegal Immigrants After Busting 2 Smuggling Attempts Within 24 Hours
Two mass human smuggling attempts were foiled last week after Border Patrol agents stopped efforts to sneak 160 illegal immigrants across America’s southern border.
Early Friday, a tanker trailer was stopped at a checkpoint on Interstate 83 in the Laredo, Texas, sector, according to a news release Tuesday from Customs and Border Protection.
“During primary inspection, a Service canine alerted to the conveyance and agents referred it to secondary inspection. There, a non-intrusive scan revealed over 50 individuals inside the tanker,” the release said.
The driver, who is an American citizen, and the 50 illegal immigrants — all from Mexico — were taken into custody.
#USBP Laredo agents intercepted a human smuggling attempt when they stopped a commercial truck hauling a tanker trailer at the Highway 83 checkpoint.
US Border Patrol #K9 Team alerted agents. This led agents to discover over 50 undocumented individuals hidden within the tanker. pic.twitter.com/XV29K3ENBE
— Charlie Mar ? (@itscharliemar) May 29, 2021
On Saturday, agents in the Laredo sector made another arrest at a different checkpoint, according to the news release.
Once again, a dog alerted Border Patrol agents that there was more than met the eye to a commercial tractor-trailer approaching the Interstate 35 checkpoint.
The driver was told to move the truck to a designated area for a secondary inspection but tried to drive off instead.
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That didn’t work very well. The truck was soon stopped on I-35, where officials found more than 100 illegal immigrants in the trailer.
The illegal immigrants being smuggled came from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, according to the release. The driver was arrested along with those being smuggled.
“Human smugglers continue to have no regard for the safety and health of the people they exploit for profit,” the release said. “Laredo Sector agents focus on the agency’s enduring mission priorities of countering terrorism, combatting transnational crime, securing the border, facilitating lawful trade, protecting revenue, and facilitating lawful travel. “
The CBP announcement of the arrests came as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster declaration along the southern border, “providing more resources and strategies to combat the ongoing influx of unlawful immigrants.”
In addition to increasing the supply of resources to counties, the Republican ordered a crackdown by law enforcement.
“The Governor has also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to enforce all federal and state criminal laws, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking,” the release announcing his actions said.
But Abbott did not stop there.
“The Governor directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to take all necessary steps to discontinue state licensure of any child care facility under a contract with the federal government that shelters or detains unlawful immigrants,” the release said.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said in the release.
“Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them. Texas continues to step up to confront the border crisis in the federal government’s absence, but more must be done,” he said.
I issued a disaster declaration along Texas’ southern border to provide more resources to protect landowners & enforce all fed & state laws to combat criminal activities stemming from Biden’s border crisis.
In Biden’s absence, Texas continues to step up.https://t.co/ULf5Eud9Ej pic.twitter.com/s55qJwKe6A
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 1, 2021
“By declaring a state of disaster in these counties, Texas will have more resources and strategies at our disposal to protect landowners and enforce all federal and state laws to combat criminal activities stemming from the border crisis,” the governor said.
“Working together with local law enforcement, the state will continue to take robust and meaningful action to keep our communities safe.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
