U.S. Border Patrol El Paso, Texas, sector agents assigned to the Las Cruces Station recently apprehended 37 undocumented migrants concealed inside a tractor-trailer during a routine inspection at the Interstate 25 checkpoint.
According to a statement from the Border Patrol, during the inspection, agents reported hearing movement near the rear door of the trailer and observed individuals attempting to crouch behind freight. Further investigation revealed 37 migrants hiding inside the trailer without proper documentation.
The migrants, who were from various countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador and Ecuador were taken into custody and transported to the Central Processing Center for further processing.
During Fiscal Year 2024 El Paso Sector Agents disrupted 24 tractor-trailer smuggling events with 387 migrants found, according to the agency. So far in fiscal year 2025, El Paso Sector Agents have disrupted four significant tractor-trailer smuggling operations, resulting in the apprehension of 97 undocumented migrants.
The El Paso Sector Border Patrol regularly encounters smuggling tactics used by transnational criminal organizations, including concealing migrants in commercial vehicles. Smuggling large groups in tractor-trailers poses extreme dangers due to the lack of proper safety measures. Individuals are often crammed into confined spaces without seat belts, adequate ventilation, or climate control often experiencing dangerously high temperatures in the summer and freezing conditions in the winter, said the statment from the agency.
“Smuggling organizations exploit migrants with false promises of safe passage and easy entry, but illegal entry into the United States often involves tactics that not only violate U.S. immigration laws but also endanger lives,” said El Paso Sector Chief Anthony Scott Good. “We remain focused on enforcing immigration laws, holding smugglers accountable, and applying consequences to those who cross the border illegally or attempt to circumvent the legal immigration process.”
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