LAREDO, Texas – Over a span of five days, Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents along with federal law enforcements partners, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Webb County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), and Laredo Police Department (LPD) discovered five stash houses and apprehended over 100 undocumented individuals throughout Laredo, Texas.
The first incident occurred during the mid-afternoon of July 8 when agents from the Laredo North Station received information regarding several undocumented individuals being housed at a local hotel on San Bernardo Avenue. Federal agents apprehended over 25 undocumented individuals from the countries of the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Mexico.
The second stash house was discovered during the mid-morning of July 9 by agents from the Laredo South Station, along with LPD and DPS, in south Laredo. Forty undocumented individuals including two unaccompanied children from the countries of Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras were apprehended.
The next day, agents from the Laredo North Station and WCSO responded to a report of suspicious activity at another hotel on San Bernardo Avenue. Law enforcement officers apprehended 13 individuals, including one unaccompanied child. All were in the country illegally from the countries of Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras.
During the morning of July 11, DPS requested assistance from Laredo North Station agents at a third hotel on San Bernardo Avenue where six undocumented individuals were being harbored. The individuals taken into custody were from the countries of Mexico and El Salvador.
The final stash house was discovered when LPD requested assistance from Laredo South Station agents during the morning of July 12. Nearly 30 undocumented individuals, including two minors, were taken into custody. All were from the country of Mexico.
The apprehended individuals were not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when found. The individuals were provided PPE and were medically screened then processed accordingly.
Stash houses continue to be a threat to national security and a threat to the citizens of our nation. Criminal organizations continued use of stash houses is also a danger to the people they exploit by concealing them in dilapidated close quarters. Help us and our law enforcement partners take a stand against these criminal organizations and their dangerous acts by reporting suspicious activity in our neighborhoods.
Although the amount of people arrested in these stash houses is high, stash house apprehensions remain only a fraction of the total apprehensions made in Laredo Sector. The overwhelming majority of apprehensions made by Laredo Sector agents are while performing linewatch operations near the border.
To report suspicious activity such as human and/or drug smuggling, download the “USBP Laredo Sector” App or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994. If you see something, say something.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.