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El Paso sector encounters 280 stash houses in 2023 fiscal year


Migrants rescued from stash houses by Border Patrol (credit: U.S. Border Patrol)
Migrants rescued from stash houses by Border Patrol (credit: U.S. Border Patrol)
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a third special legislation session that begins on Monday.

El Paso is no stranger to those activities.

"Homeland Security Investigation is tasked with identifying, disrupting, and dismantling terrorist and transnational criminal organizations that seek to exploit our trade, travel, financial, and immigration system," said Francisco Burrola, Special Agent in Charge for HSI.

In El Paso federal law enforcement agencies like Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Texas Department of Public Safety work to keep the Borderland safe.

In July Homeland Security allowed us to join their agents exclusively on an operation with their Human Smuggling Unit.

RELATED:Homeland Security Investigation's fight to dismantle border smuggling operations

Burrola said people engage in the human smuggling business because of money.

"Here on the U.S side, individuals making a $1,000 a head now, where we interdicted traffic vehicle with hundred individuals in the back of it that driver is getting $1,000 for each individual he has in that trailer," Burrola said.

In Fiscal Year 2022, there were more than 790 disruptions to illicit activity, 14,000 noncitizen apprehensions, and nearly 2,000 criminal arrests and the agency seized $5 million in assets and property, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement FY 2022 annual report.

"We don’t stand for that. We will find that organization. We find those individuals," Burrola said.

Taking a look at numbers locally in El Paso in Fiscal Year 2023 agents in El Paso encountered 280 stash houses with more than 3,000 migrants and the El Paso Border Patrol sector said that's up from 240 stash houses with more than 2,000 migrants in Fiscal Year 2022.

"This is something that we want to fight. They’re putting people’s lives at risk by having them in these unbearable conditions. Not having medical assistance available to them. Not having food and water readily available to them," Fidel Baca, Border Patrol Agent, said.

Something all law enforcement agencies want to see El Pasoans do is to speak up if they sense anything suspicious.

"It’s important. You see something you say something. You want to keep your community safe and it doesn’t have to be HSI there are other federal agencies here within this community," Burrola said.

On the agenda items are the following:

Education Freedom: Legislation providing education savings accounts for all Texas schoolchildren.

Border Security:

  • Legislation to do more to reduce illegal immigration by creating a criminal offense for illegal entry into this state from a foreign nation and authorizing all licensed peace officers to remove illegal immigrants from Texas.
  • Legislation to impede illegal entry into Texas by increasing the penalties for criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house.
  • Legislation to impede illegal entry into Texas by providing more funding for the construction, operation, and maintenance of border barrier infrastructure.

Public Safety: Legislation concerning public safety, security, environmental quality, and property ownership in areas like the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County, Texas.

Ending COVID Restrictions: Legislation prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers.

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