Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol recently issued a press release declaring that smuggling organizations are utilizing social media to attract drivers, some as young as just 13 years old.
According to the release, youths are offered large sums of cash and they are ensured that because they are underage they will not be punished harshly if they are caught.
“These foreign criminal organizations are openly recruiting people to invade our country, but all we get from RINOs like Greg Abbott are half-measures," Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines said. "This invasion must be stopped or we will lose Texas first, and then America. When I am governor, I will finally finish Trump’s wall, and I will empower our military and law enforcement to actually stop this attack.”
Rio Grande Valley agents are concerned about this as well.
"This is an alarming trend, because many of these teenagers underestimate the severity of the crime" RGV Chief Patrol Agent Brian S. Hastings said. "Not only can they be prosecuted and sent to jail, but they also endanger lives through their actions. I encourage parents to talk to their children and educate them on the potential consequences and dangers of this trend.”
Another border patrol agent partially explained how the process works.
“They have pick-up drivers in the United States" U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agent Valeria Morales said. "They recruit the youth to drive. They have stash house coordinators, people that transport these people from the stash houses to their final destination.”
Rio Grande Valley agents were in 257 vehicle pursuits in 2021, and there have been 99 so far in 2022. These chases involve vehicles that are attempting to sneak either people or drugs across the border. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, Rio Grande Valley operates found over 137,000 migrants, an increase of 163% from the same time last year. The agents this fiscal year have captured over 11,000 pounds of drugs.
In 2021, more migrants were captured at the Southwest U.S. border than in any year previously. The total captured was 1,658,206, surpassing the previous high of 1,643,679 in 2000. This is a major theme of the upcoming Texas Republican gubernatorial primary. Gov. Greg Abbott, a former Texas attorney general, was elected in 2014 and is seeking re-election.
Challenging Abbott in the March 1 primary are Huffines, a businessman and former Senator; Texas GOP Chairman Allen West; and media figure Chad Prather. Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke is currently the favorite for the Democratic nomination.
