Agents: Driver made migrants jump from moving Yukon

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two Austin men who allegedly drove to the border and engaged in migrant smuggling are being accused of causing serious injuries to two Mexican nationals under their care.

The indictment returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas charges Luis Resendes Zubieta and Jose Avila Rodriguez with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and placing their lives in jeopardy.

The charges stem from an alleged March 29 attempt to drive unauthorized migrants from Eagle Pass, Texas, to Houston.

Resendes was driving a 2013 GMC Yukon with temporary Texas license plates heading north when he noticed a U.S. Border Patrol highway checkpoint ahead; he and Avila, his passenger, ordered two Mexican nationals in the back seat to bail out while the vehicle was in motion, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.

The Yukon arrived at the checkpoint with Resendes and Avila inside. The driver presented identification upon request, but his passenger lacked an ID. As border agents investigated Avila’s background in a secondary inspection area, a supervisor driving up to the checkpoint observed a man lying prone on the side of the road.

Court records show the supervisor requested medical assistance when he noticed the man was bleeding profusely from a head wound. A helicopter flew him to University Hospital in San Antonio to be evaluated for head trauma and treated for lacerations.

The supervisor reported that a second man came out of the brush where the first man was found also appearing to be injured. He was taken by ambulance to Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio, Texas. Both men were determined to be Mexican citizens present in the United States illegally, court documents show.

When confronted with the information back at the checkpoint, Resendes allegedly told investigators he and Avila traveled from Austin to Eagle Pass and were offered $1,000 for each migrant they could drive to Houston.

Resendes allegedly said he and Avila ordered the migrants to exit the vehicle when they noticed the checkpoint. The driver said he did not stop the vehicle but “slowed to approximately 20 miles per hour” while the migrants jumped out of the passenger side doors, the complaint alleges.

Wednesday’s indictment charges Resendes and Avila with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and transportation of illegal aliens causing bodily injury.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.