Border Patrol agents in Sierra Blanca, Texas, recently discovered 49 undocumented migrants crowded in a tractor-trailer, which they stopped from entering the state.
The attempted human smuggling was discovered during a traffic check at the Interstate 10 immigration checkpoint Thursday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, KFOX14 reported.
Agents were first notified by a non-intrusive K-9 inspection of the impending smuggling scheme. The vehicle was examined further and discovered 49 migrants coming from Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru, the agency confirmed.
“Agents and their K-9 partners were able to positively identify a large smuggling scheme, saving multiple individuals from a potentially dangerous situation,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin said.
“Checkpoint operations are vital to monitoring the egress of illegal activity into the United States,” he added.
The driver of the truck, who according to authorities was a visa holder, was turned over to the Homeland Security Investigations for prosecution. All 49 undocumented migrants were evaluated medically and were processed appropriately.
In another incident in Texas, tons of migrants set up a camp under a bridge in Del Rio last week. U.S. Rep. August Pfluger told Fox News Agency Saturday. According to Pfluger, the migrant count, who are mostly Haitian, camping underneath the bridge is about 15,000.
The current administration has been facing an increase in migration since taking office, which has hit a high of more than 200,000 encounters a month in both July and August. The Biden administration, however, points fingers at the previous administration for the rise because of the latter’s ending legal asylum pathways and other causes like violence and poverty.
But Republicans continue to blame President Joe Biden after his reversal of Trump-era immigration policies.
Also Read: Texas Border Patrol Flags 68 Illegal Immigrants In Two Different Human Smuggling Operations
