DEL RIO, Texas (NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning about a trend of Airbnbs being used as stash houses for human smuggling.
This alert follows a recent operation in El Paso, Texas, where U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers uncovered a stash house harboring migrants from Mexico and Guatemala.
The property owner became suspicious after noticing unusual activity and contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). On Aug. 8, agents arrested 13 migrants and an alleged smuggler in the home rented through Airbnb.
‘They’ll put people over capacity of a certain location,’ former HSI agent
The trend of rental properties as stash houses isn’t new, often involving yearlong leases. However, with short-term rentals, smugglers cycle people through more quickly, making it harder to prove the homeowner is innocent and not involved in the crime.
Victor Avila, a former HSI special agent, told NewsNation that during his investigations, homeowners were generally unaware of what was taking place.
He blames the current administration’s policies for the rise in stash houses, noting that many people in these locations likely have criminal histories.
“It could be a house, it could be a garage, it could be a hotel room, a motel room, it could be an apartment, it could be so many different types of locations,” Avila said. “Sometimes you’re talking about family units, and they’ll put so many people over capacity of a certain location with the most egregious of circumstances — with very little water, very little food, just enough to hold them there while they distribute them just like a product.”
HSI sent a statement to NewsNation, underscoring their commitment to combating human smuggling.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to vigorously pursue members of transnational criminal networks that exploit and endanger people they smuggle into our country. Human smugglers are driven by human greed and heartlessness, and HSI and our law enforcement partners will keep working towards the shared goals of securing our borders and protecting our local communities,” said Jason T. Stevens, the HSI El Paso acting special agent in charge.
Border Patrol says these stash houses are generally overcrowded, unsanitary and unsafe.
How often are stash houses raided?
Stash houses are being busted nearly daily in the El Paso Sector. Since the fiscal year began in October, Border Patrol agents have disrupted at least 234 stash houses and rescued more than 2,300 migrants in the El Paso Sector.
Airbnb isn’t alone; in El Centro, California, agents recently arrested 17 people at a stash house. Border Patrol agents in El Paso disrupted another smuggling operation where 27 migrants were hidden in an apartment.
As Avila noted, stash houses can be in any location, including just a room in a home, so they often refer to them as stash locations.
These stash houses aren’t isolated to the southern border. They’re littered throughout the U.S., used to hide migrants evading law enforcement while they move from place to place until they reach their final destination, paying the cartel every step of the way.