Nearly 50 migrants found in trailer at Sierra Blanca checkpoint

SIERRA BLANCA, Texas — Almost 50 people who had entered the U.S. illegally were found inside the trailer of a truck stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, officials said Friday.

Border Patrol agents found the undocumented migrants Thursday at its immigration checkpoint along Interstate 10, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection statement. A trained dog detected something amiss in the trailer and agents had the trailer opened.

The Border Patrol said the 49 migrants inside came from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. They and the driver of the truck, a visa holder, were taken into custody.

“Agents and their K-9 partners were able to positively identify a large smuggling scheme, saving multiple individuals from a potentially dangerous situation,” said Border Patrol Sector Chief Sean McGoffin.