Border Patrol Find Undocumented Individuals inside Grain Hopper Railcars
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
LAREDO (News Release) – Agents from the Cotulla Station, with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), prevented undocumented individuals from using grain hopper railcars to further their entry into the United States.
During the early morning of July 13, agents were conducting a train inspection south of Cotulla, Texas and discovered several individuals attempting to conceal themselves between the box cars. With the assistance of DPS, 17 undocumented individuals from the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico were apprehended. One noncitizen unaccompanied child was found among the group. The child was separated from the group for safety reasons, all were medically evaluated and cleared for processing.
This dangerous method of traveling further into the United States after illegal entry is strongly discouraged as it often results in serious injury or death. Many times, undocumented individuals choose this grueling method of transportation without realizing the consequences of their actions until it is too late. Fortunately, in this case, agents detected the individuals and were able to apprehend them before any fell victim to a heat related injury.