Dozens of Migrants Apprehended on Texas Ranches North of Border

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents continue to apprehend migrants on ranches located miles north of the Texas-Mexico border. The migrants attempted to avoid arrest and make their way illegally into the U.S. interior.

Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Carl E. Landrum tweeted images of a group of 24 migrants apprehended on a ranch near Hebbronville, Texas. In this incident, agents identified and arrested a “foot guide” and processed him on charges of human smuggling.

#USBP Hebbronville Station agents apprehended a group of 24 undocumented individuals East of Hebbronville, Texas.

After a brief interview, a foot guide was identified within the group. The foot guide was referred for prosecution on human smuggling charges.#HonorFirst pic.twitter.com/u8HIcsCaS0

— Chief Patrol Agent Carl E. Landrum (@USBPChiefLRT) March 8, 2022

Hebbronville is located approximately 55 miles from the Texas-Mexico border in Laredo. Human smugglers drop migrants off on these ranches to march around the Border Patrol interior immigration checkpoint.

Elsewhere in the sector, Zapata Station agents found another 50 migrants on a ranch near San Ygnacio, Texas, Landrum tweeted. These migrants were arrested for being illegally present in the U.S. and transported to the Zapata Station for processing.

Landrum did not identify the nationality of the migrants.

The desperation of human smugglers to move their cargo into the U.S. interior led to an increase of law enforcement pursuits, Breitbart Texas reported. These pursuits frequently lead to crashes on the highways or smugglers driving through the fences of ranchers creating property damage.

The utilization of advanced technology systems like Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems also assist Laredo Sector agents in more effectively finding and arresting migrants attempting to avoid apprehension.