Illegal Migrant Credited with Saving Herself and 27 Others
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
EDINBURG (News Release) – Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies rescued 28 noncitizens from an Edinburg stash house. Two other smuggling events were foiled and resulted in the identification of a foot-guide.
On August 15, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of RGV agents after receiving a 911 emergency call from a female non-citizen claiming she was being held against her will at a residence in Edinburg. Deputies and agents responded to the residence and encountered 28 noncitizens from Mexico and Central America in good health. The caretaker departed the location before the teams arrived.
On the same day, RGV agents attempted to initiate an immigration inspection of the occupants of a Toyota Tacoma near Norias, the driver failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit. The vehicle came to a stop near Raymondville and the occupants bailed out. Agents apprehended six migrants from the surrounding area who were unlawfully present in the U.S. The driver was not located.
On August 14, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents received information of a vehicle picking up a suspected migrant and dropping him off in La Joya. Texas Fish and Wildlife, working with RGV agents, conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver, a Legally Admitted Permanent Resident, told agents he was being a good Samaritan by providing a ride to the stranger, who was also detained nearby. The passenger, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the U.S., admitted to being a foot guide and has been encountered at least 6 times in the Rio Grande Valley since January 2022. They were both placed under arrest and transported to the station.
