EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — U.S. Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector have disrupted about two dozen human smuggling attempts this past week and arrested nine people with criminal histories, according to a news release sent out by Border Patrol.
In the last seven days, El Paso Sector agents have disrupted 23 human smuggling events leading to more than 100 smuggled migrants being apprehended and the arrest of nine individuals with criminal backgrounds.
On Jan. 5, agents assigned to the El Paso Station Anti-Smuggling Unit (ASU) disrupted a smuggling attempt when they encountered six smuggled migrants inside a SUV. Agents observed multiple individuals emerging from a storm drain near Ascarate Park and then jumping into a vehicle. Agents subsequently performed an immigration stop, finding migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador, including one unaccompanied juvenile from Mexico.
All migrants were medically evaluated and processed under Title 8 authority. The driver and six others will be facing various charges including conspiracy to transport, illegal entry and re-entry after being deported.
On Jan. 7., agents assigned to the El Paso Human Intelligence Unit helped to secure the prosecution of a Nicaraguan national who had allegedly entered the country after being deported.
The 52-year-old male was found among a group of 14 migrants who crossed the border illegally, Border Patrol officials said in its release.
An immigration background investigation found that he was convicted of aggravated battery and controlled substance trafficking in 2001 in Florida.
This individual will face prosecution for re-entry after deportation, Border Patrol said.
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