Border Patrol Busts Human Smuggling in Action After Receiving Tip About Hotel

Border Patrol agents say they have uncovered part of a human smuggling operation in Texas after discovering illegal immigrants packed into a hotel room.

As part of the investigation, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents found that illegal immigrants were using a storm drain to illegally cross the border and slip into Edinburg, Texas, according to a news release posted on the Customs and Border Protection website.
The investigation began on Friday with a tip that illegal immigrants were being warehoused in one room at a local hotel, according to the release.

When agents went to see what was going on, “agents observed two individuals enter the suspect room carrying several jugs of water and groceries. Their ongoing surveillance identified other factors indicating that the room was being used to harbor migrants.”
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office then used its authority to conduct a welfare check and found 16 people in the small hotel room.