Migrants concealed behind hidden storage compartment inside truck, Border Patrol says

Border Patrol agents in Texas disrupted several smuggling attempts over the weekend, apprehending 22 migrants from Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

On Sept. 25, a dog with Border Patrol drew agents’ attention to a truck with “two visible occupants” that was in the primary inspection lane at a checkpoint near Sarita, Texas. On second inspection, agents found eight migrants hiding in an “aftermarket compartment” in the truck. Agents arrested the migrants, who are citizens of Mexico and El Salvador, as well as the truck’s driver and passenger, the release said.

That evening, agents in Brownsville tried to stop a black Mazda suspected of being used for human smuggling. The attempted stop turned into a chase, which ended when the Mazda stopped in an empty parking lot and its driver fled the vehicle. Agents found three migrants, who are citizens of Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador, in the car’s trunk and did not locate the driver, the release said.

Later, agents from the McAllen Border Patrol Station saw several people entering a Chevrolet Tahoe in a parking lot near Mission, Texas. They discovered 11 migrants from Mexico and Honduras inside, “all illegally present in the United States,” according to the news release. All the passengers were taken to the McAllen station for processing, the release said.

This story was originally published September 27, 2021 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Migrants concealed behind hidden storage compartment inside truck, Border Patrol says."