Over 100 Undocumented Migrants From Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador Found Inside 2 Tractor-Trailers Near Texas Border
U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Laredo Border sector arrested more than 100 undocumented migrants after they were found crammed inside two tractor-trailers on separate occasions near the Texas border.
The recent smuggling attempt, which happened on July 13, was impeded when agents working at a checkpoint northwest of Laredo discovered 93 people in the vehicle's cargo area after a canine had alerted officers, Daily Mail reported.
The apprehended undocumented migrants were identified as citizens from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Before the recent arrest, border agents stopped a truck on July 11 for a routine inspection and found 10 Mexican citizens crammed at the back. The undocumented migrants and drivers, in both cases, were taken into custody for processing.
A CBP spokesperson said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas is handling the investigation regarding the two cases. For the Laredo Sector, the smuggling method was seen to grow during summer days.
An x-ray machine led agents to a group of migrants standing together and hidden behind a makeshift rear area of the freight container earlier this month.
Laredo Sector North Station Patrol Agent in Charge Jaime Fierro said they are highly concerned with smuggling cases as lives are at stake. Fierro added that people are smuggled in masse inside tractor-trailers that do not have any ventilation.
Smuggling of Undocumented Migrants
Last month, Border Patrol agents had taken more than 160 undocumented immigrants into custody in two human smuggling attempts at Laredo in Texas.
Checkpoint agents discovered more than 50 people inside a tanker trailer, with all of the migrants identified as Mexican nationals, KWTX reported.
The agents also found more than 100 undocumented immigrants in another tractor-trailer hours later, with the migrants identified coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republican.
Agents had taken both drivers from the two incidents. The drivers were both U.S. citizens. In a news release, the CBP said that human smugglers continue to have no regard for the safety and health of the people they use for profit.
On July 8, agents from Hebbronville Station had also responded to suspicious activity, wherein migrants were trying to hide in a shed on ranch property.
The agents discovered that there were two undocumented individuals wanted in the U.S. for criminal charges, Homeland Security Today reported.
Human Trafficking
United Nations had described human trafficking as a situation when people are recruited or harbored, by the threat of force, to be exploited. Most human trafficking cases have been reported in Texas, California, and Florida, Business Insider reported.
Meanwhile, the National Human Trafficking Hotline was taking more than 49,000 cases of human trafficking in the U.S. since 2007. In addition, the hotline receives an average of 150 calls per day.
Between 18,000 and 20,000 victims were reported to be trafficked into the United States every year. Children are more vulnerable than adults because they are easier to control, cheaper, and less likely to demand working conditions.
READ MORE: 10 of 13 Killed in California Crash Were Mexicans Who Entered U.S. Through Hole in Border Fence
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Border Patrol officials in Laredo See Surge in Tractor-Trailers Smuggling Immigrants - From KSAT 12
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