EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents disrupted three migrant smuggling attempts resulting in 16 arrests.
On the evening of Jan. 30, RGV agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on a Dodge Charger on U.S. Highway 281 near San Manuel, Texas. The vehicle failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers responded to assist with the pursuit. The Charger came to a stop, after being immobilized near FM 490. The driver, a United States citizen, and two occupants fled from the vehicle, but were apprehended shortly thereafter. The two passengers were Salvadoran nationals unlawfully present in the United States. All subjects were transported to the station for processing.
Just after midnight on Jan. 31, RGV agents were engaged in another vehicle pursuit with a Dodge Ram north of San Manuel. A CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter responded and located the Ram after it drove through a high-game fence, where it continued until agent’s lost sight of it. As agents approached the vehicle, they discovered the driver had remained in the vehicle and an unknown number of subjects had absconded. The driver, a U.S. citizen was in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. The vehicle, methamphetamine, and driver were turned over to Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Agents were unable to locate any additional subjects.
A few hours later, a Chevrolet Silverado 3500 flatbed welding truck drove through a fence and into the brush near Santa Elena, Texas, as RGV agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. Agents searched the immediate area and apprehended 11 migrants from Mexico unlawfully present in the U.S. The driver was not located.
Border Patrol is processing the subjects accordingly.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.