Law enforcement in El Paso detained a large group of unlawful migrants earlier this month.
El Paso Sector human smuggling interdiction teams have now raided over 130 stash houses and detained more than 1,800 unlawful migrants in fiscal year 2023, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.
During a series of raids coordinated between Texas Department of Public Safety officers and U.S Border Patrol, 145 unlawful migrants were reportedly detained after being discovered in two homes.
After receiving a tip, law enforcement traveled to the first El Paso stash house, where they reportedly found 51 unlawful migrants huddled in cramped conditions.
Those interviewed by law enforcement after the first raid indicated their group was composed primarily of individuals from Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala, where they said they suffered a poor living standard.
Interviews also revealed the location of another stash house nearby, according to the press release.
Upon arriving at the second El Paso stash house, police discovered another 94 unlawful migrants from the same countries.
Two of the unlawful migrants identified themselves as caretakers of the property and are now facing federal charges for human smuggling.
In another recent El Paso raid, undertaken by Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, 23 unlawful migrants from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala were discovered hiding in the home of a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Controlling cross-border traffic of unlawful migrants has remained a controversial issue in the Texas Legislature and in the federal government.
Recently, both U.S. senators from Texas, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, clashed with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the department’s handling of Texas’ international border.
The Texas Legislature is also working on a series of bills designed to increase and maximize the state’s legal and law enforcement jurisdiction over the border, including by establishing a Border Protection Unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety. These bills are controversial in the legislature.
