U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector in Texas recently rescued 59 undocumented immigrants over the course of three incidents.
The first incident occurred on June 2, when a tractor-trailer approached agents at the Highway 35 Checkpoint. After a brief round of questioning, the driver consented to a inspection. With the use of a non-intrusive imaging system, the agents detected anomalies within the vehicle’s cargo area, which resulted in the discovery of 48 undocumented immigrants.
The driver, a citizen of the United States, was arrested and charged with human smuggling.
One day later, officers stationed at the same highway checkpoint referred a white Ford van for a secondary inspection after a Border Patrol canine unit alerted officers to possible suspicious activity within the vehicle. After a short search, officers discovered six undocumented immigrants being concealed in two separate locked wooden cabinets near the rear of the van. The driver, another citizen of the United States, was subsequently arrested.
The third incident occurred on June 8 when officers stationed at the Highway 83 Checkpoint referred a white Chevrolet van for a secondary inspection after a canine unit alerted officers to possible suspicious activity. A brief search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of five undocumented immigrants being concealed within two separate wooden boxes inside the van. The driver, a third U.S. citizen, was also arrested.
“The disregard for human life in which these persons were subjected to and the inhumane conditions that they were placed in demonstrates how callous and heartless these smugglers can be,” Gabriel Acosta, assistant chief patrol agent with the Laredo Sector, said.
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.