Authorities apprehended 84 unlawful migrants from the back of a tractor-trailer just north of the Texas border with Mexico on Thursday, according to law enforcement officials.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra tweeted, “A concerned citizen called to report a tractor trailer arrive at a residence … and seeing people unloading from the trailer.”
“Deputies working OPSG [Operation Stonegarden] & USBP [United States Border Patrol] agents responded and rescued 84 UDI’s [undocumented immigrants],” he continued.
The location Guerra specifies in his tweet is known as Olivarez, about 10 miles from the border.
Guerra told CNN that ICE Homeland Security Investigations is probing the incident as a human smuggling case. The sheriff said the people on the 18-wheeler were from Central America and that none requested medical aid.
The truck carrying the unlawful migrants reportedly appeared on a TikTok video posted late Wednesday evening that sought “someone who can drive an 18-wheeler right now” from McAllen to Houston for $70,000.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed to Fox News that the video is authentic and related to the 84 unlawful migrants found in Hidalgo County.
There has been an increase in similar videos seeking drivers to smuggle migrants through the country, according to Texas DPS spokesperson Christopher Olivarez.
“That is why we are experiencing an increase in human smuggling events along the border,” Olivarez said. “Many individuals from larger metropolitan areas such as Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and even out of state are being recruited as drivers through social media platforms to smuggle illegal immigrants.”
Cartels have also turned to social media to recruit people for human trafficking operations in other states. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced a bill in late September to crack down on cartels’ use of social media platforms.
“Cartels recruit teenage Arizonans to support smuggling and trafficking near our border – luring them into dangerous and illegal activities for easy cash that puts their lives and others at serious risk,” Sinema said.
