McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Border Patrol agents this week rescued 17 migrants from a locked tractor-trailer and pulled a woman from the Rio Grande where she nearly drowned, according to officials with the Laredo Sector.
The 17 migrants “were rescued from a locked tractor trailer,” and all “were taken into custody and processed,” the Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector posted Tuesday on X.
The rescue happened at night near Encinal, Texas, which is 40 miles northeast of Laredo.
Photos show the migrants, including children, sitting inside the empty metal trailer and on the shoulder of a road.
Migrants apprehended from a locked tractor-trailer on Tuesday, are seen sitting next to it in Encinal, Texas. (Photo Courtesy Border Patrol Laredo Sector)
Encinal police helped in the operation, which the Laredo sector chief said was a “foiled human smuggling attempt.”
The arrests come as Homeland Security Investigations this week launched an operation to warn migrants and their families of the dangers of human trafficking through South Texas during deadly triple-digit summer heat.
Also this week, a marine unit of the Border Patrol stationed in Laredo rescued a woman who nearly drowned while crossing the Rio Grande with a group, according to a post by the sector on Thursday on X.
“A woman in the group began to drown, and the crew quickly pulled her out of the water. The female subject was unresponsive, but after quick medical aid by the crew she regained consciousness.”
Mark Lippa, HSI deputy special agent in charge, told Border Report earlier this week that human smuggling is very dangerous.
“The migrants are often found in conditions that are not worthy of humans,” he said.
In Fiscal Year 2022, there were 171 migrant deaths, including 52 who died in CBP custody, according to the latest data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
That’s up 13% from Fiscal Year 2021, with most migrants dying from “distress” both years, the agency says.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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