(NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it has seen a 500 percent increase in migrant smuggling arrests.
In the most recent incident, 21 undocumented individuals were discovered in three separate human smuggling events in Arizona’s Tucson sector. In one incident six people were found hiding under a secured cover in the back of a pickup truck. In another, the driver was an armed U.S. citizen, and in another, the driver was an armed US citizen.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a work truck south of Corpus Christi and the driver and 15 undocumented individuals jumped out and ran, the agency reported. The truck was equipped with a secret compartment to conceal people.
In Maverick County, which includes the Eagle Pass area, DPS attempted to stop a gravel hauler and a pursuit began. The driver eventually stopped and bailed out, running toward the brush; 17 migrants were discovered inside the trailer
This all comes as the DHS-led effort, under the Biden Administration’s “Counter Human Smuggler” campaign, has made more than 5,000 arrests since April.
Border Patrol told NewsNation that a lot of the individuals being smuggled are from Mexico or the Northern Triangle. They know they’ll be returned to Mexico under Title 42, so they believe being smuggled is their only chance of getting into the U.S.
At least five more people were added to the list of Border Patrol’s Most Wanted. All five are suspected of being associated with transnational criminal organizations and will have their photos featured in posters flyers and billboards on both sides of the border as part of the se busca por tráfico de personas seeking information initiative.
