Migrants Smuggled Inside Water Tote Encountered on Highway
Release Date:
May 27, 2021
EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents rescued five migrants trapped inside a water container following a failed smuggling attempt. In addition, agents encountered a large group of 165 migrants in Hidalgo, Texas.
Yesterday evening, RGV agents working near San Manuel, Texas, observed a Ford F150 transporting a water tote on U.S. Highway 281. Agents attempted to conduct an immigration inspection on the occupants of the vehicle. The driver failed to yield to the agent’s service unit and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The driver drove the truck through a property fence before coming to a stop. The driver and several occupants were observed absconding into the brush. Agents encountered two subjects under a blanket in the bed of the truck and five more inside the water tank. Agents had to cut straps and remove metal bars encompassing the tank to extract the migrants from inside. The driver and occupants that absconded into the brush were not located.
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/migrants-smuggled-inside-water-tote-encountered-highway-0
