103 migrants, 3 stash house busts, one busy day in the Borderland
EL PASO, Texas -- Three different human smuggling attempts were disrupted Friday by El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents, encountering 103 migrants.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief for the El Paso Sector, Gloria Chavez tweeted a video from the biggest bust of the day. She called it "Collaboration as its best!" and complimented the work of several teams.
In the video, you can see children and adults sitting on blankets covering the floor. The pictures show unkept conditions inside the home and a Santa Muerte altar just inches from the children's toys.
COLLABORATION AT ITS BEST! Outstanding work by #ElPaso Sector Integrated Targeting Team, #ElPaso and #SantaTeressa Anti-Smuggling Units, @HSIElPaso and @TxDPSWest for collaborating and exposing several stash house apartments with 59 smuggled migrants and 3 smugglers! Great job! pic.twitter.com/Vi9FZskYR4
— Gloria I. Chavez (@USBPChiefEPT) July 20, 2022
Officials say that bust happened around 9:50 a.m. at several small apartment complexes on Diana Drive in northeast El Paso. Several agencies working together found as many as 59 migrants. Their countries of origin included Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Mexico and Honduras. There were three children in the group. Three individuals from Mexico were arrested and are pending prosecution on human smuggling charges.
At 11:40 a.m., agents were tipped off to several motel rooms used to house migrants near Lomaland Drive. Agents found 31 migrants inside four rooms. The migrants included a 5-year-old child. The countries of origin were Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras and Columbia.
Later that same day, around 5:30 p.m., Agents responded to a house near Alabama street where they discovered 13 migrants from Mexico.
All migrants subject to Title 42 were expelled back to Mexico. Others were taken to the Central Processing Center to be processed under title 8.
