Van Horn, Texas, Border Patrol authorities last week discovered nearly three dozen migrants crammed inside a U-Haul truck amid a sweltering heat wave that has roiled much of the western United States.
On June 10, Big Bend Sector law enforcement recovered a total of 33 people, of whom 12 were transported to local hospitals in a possible human smuggling operation, officials announced on Tuesday. Agents said the migrants “were close to perishing due to excessive heat and lack of fresh air in temperatures still hovering near 100 degrees.”
No deaths were reported after Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group administered aid and determined who needed further treatment at local medical facilities.
TEXAS HAS BEGUN BUILDING WALL ALONG BORDER, ABBOTT SAYS
“Had our heroic agents not been able to free these trapped undocumented migrants, we could have seen 33 miserable deaths in this event,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin said in a statement. “Smugglers do not care what type of misery they put people through as they take their money.”
The discovery followed the apprehension of over 50 migrants near Valentine, Texas, in the same sector on June 8. The migrants, who hailed from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, El Salvador, Brazil, and Honduras, were picked up in a remote desert area shortly after traversing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Yesterday, agents in Big Bend Sector intercepted multiple undocumented migrant smuggling schemes and apprehended a large group of over 50 undocumented migrants near Valentine, Texas. https://t.co/OtO64mP32W #bordersecurityisnationalsecurity pic.twitter.com/4j60rL12a8
— Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin (@USBPChiefBBT) June 9, 2021
“Our agents responded quickly and apprehended this large group in the harsh, unforgiving desert in over 100-degree temperatures,” McGoffin said at the time. “Smugglers control where and how these border crossings take place, putting human lives at risk every day.”
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Border Patrol reported observing over 180,000 attempted illegal crossings for the month of May, a record number since President Joe Biden assumed office on Jan. 20.
