EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Border Patrol agents from the El Paso Sector acting on a tip recently rescued 35 migrants from a box trailer in New Mexico, the chief patrol agent said.
Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott” Good tweeted pictures of a Chevy pickup that was hauling the trailer, and dozens of individuals inside the trailer.
Good noted that the conditions inside the trailer can be dangerous, especially with the temperature increasing.
“Ruthless smugglers continue to place the lives of people in danger,” Good tweeted. “Incredible job by our agents in identifying & intercepting the smuggling scheme.”
The incident happened on June 7 in La Union, New Mexico, a farming community on the outskirts of El Paso.
Agents said they spotted the truck parked before it headed to nearby Anthony, New, Mexico, where it suddenly stopped and three individuals got out and ran into a pecan orchard.
Border agents approached the vehicle and discovered 35 migrants inside the box trailer.
In a statement to Border Report, agents said the migrants were found in good condition despite the lack of ventilation and heat inside the box trailer. The 35 migrants were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
The three smugglers were not found.
Although migrant encounters have dropped in recent weeks, the El Paso Sector reported 41,894 in April. However, since the end of the Title 42 health rules on May 11, agents have seen a 64% drop in encounters, Good told Border Report last week.
