Oklahoma Man Caught Smuggling!
An Oklahoma man has been arrested for human smuggling after his truck got stuck in the mud in Texas.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) pulled over an Oklahoma man, Hayden Franco, 28, for a traffic violation. As the trooper approached Franco’s Ford F-150 pickup truck, Franco hit the gas pedal in an attempt to flee.
However, the truck became bogged down in the mud, and Franco was quickly apprehended at gunpoint by the trooper.
According to Fox News, during the short time between the Oklahoma man’s exit from the vehicle and his apprehension, four illegal immigrants were seen fleeing from the pickup truck and heading toward the brush. Upon further examination, authorities discovered an additional group of illegal immigrants concealed beneath a bed cover in the bed of the truck, consisting of four adults and one juvenile.
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The Oklahoma man, Franco was arrested and charged with five counts of human smuggling, and the illegal immigrants, who were all from Mexico, were handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
The incident comes amid a political controversy over immigration policies. The Republican party has attributed the rise in border encounters to the Biden administration, alleging that the administration’s revocation of Trump-era policies such as the Remain-in-Mexico policy, discontinuation of wall construction, and decreased enforcement of ICE interior policies are responsible for the increase.
The Biden administration, on the other hand, has pushed back against these accusations, stating that Republicans have failed to vote for more border funding and have not supported a comprehensive immigration reform proposal introduced on day one of the administration.
Regardless of political disagreements, the case of human smuggling by the Oklahoma man is a serious crime that puts the lives of both the smuggled individuals and law enforcement officers at risk. The Texas DPS troopers should be commended for their swift action in apprehending the suspect and preventing any potential harm to the smuggled individuals or the public.
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