U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP), in conjunction with the Joint Task Force-West, South Texas Corridor (JTF-W STC), recently apprehended a known human smuggler operating in Rio Grande City.
Abigail Del Angel was arrested in a joint operation on Mar. 8 by JTF-W STC and the Starr County Sheriff’s Office. Del Angel was wanted for her connections to an organized human smuggling operation and is suspected of smuggling approximately 75 undocumented migrants into the United States per week. She had been previously deported for actions related to human smuggling and being present in the country illegally.
CBP said its sources indicated Del Angel re-entered the United States in June 2016 and was attempting to maintain a low profile due to increased pressure from state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies working to target transnational criminal organizations.
Del Angel has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and will be subsequently removed from the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry.