In the span of two days, Texas law enforcement has been able to shut down three different stash houses where unlawful migrants were being held, some allegedly against their will.
Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents apprehended people in two of those three smuggling stash houses and pursued a smuggler of unlawful migrants attempting a vehicle escape.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced RGV agents received information last week about a house in Alton that was being used as a stash house. Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and Alton Police Department agents were dispatched to the scene.
A search of the residence turned up 13 unlawful migrants from El Salvador and Mexico. There was no identified caretaker of the stash house, CBP reports.
On the same day, RGV agents received information about another possible human smuggling stash house in McAllen. Law enforcement responded to the residence and discovered 35 additional unlawful migrants.
CPB reports that Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran nationals were apprehended, but the stash house’s operator was not located. The unlawful migrants were taken from the property without incident.
Agents were also alerted by camera operators at the McAllen Border Patrol Station to several people attempting to enter a Ford Expedition in a well-known smuggling area near McAllen. Agents approached the vehicle in question and tried to pull it over.
After the driver failed to yield and sped away, Hidalgo County Constables (HCC) assisted and took the lead in the pursuit. The driver eventually came to a halt and exited the vehicle.
Agents apprehended four personnel still in the car and determined they were all unlawful migrants. According to CBP, the driver was arrested by HCC and will face state charges.
On the same day, the Laredo Police Department assisted in rescuing a group of unlawful migrants being held at a stash house following a call from one of the captives to law enforcement, KGNS reports. Officers received a call from a man who said he was allegedly locked in a home with 14 other people without food.
An investigation into the call and the description given by the caller allowed law enforcement to locate the mobile home being used as a stash house. According to the CPB, all subjects will be appropriately processed.
The general public is encouraged to help combat crime in their communities by reporting suspicious activity to (800) 863-9382.