A 31-year old woman, a U.S. Citizen, was arrested by Border Patrol agents for suspected alien smuggling this past week after 13 illegal aliens were discovered inside a motel room in the Del Rio, Texas area.
On Feb. 5, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station received a call about possible illegal aliens staying inside a local motel room. After agents arrived, 13 undocumented individuals were found inside. Nine were determined to be Honduran nationals and four Mexican nationals. One of the nine Hondurans was an unaccompanied juvenile. The following day, the 31-year-old woman was identified as the suspected facilitator and was arrested by federal agents.
According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the woman faces felony charges of alien smuggling. If convicted, she could receive up to 10 years in prison. The aliens were processed in accordance with CBP guidelines.
"Unscrupulous human smugglers expose people to dangerous and inhumane conditions," said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz in the statement. "For them, it is all about monetary gain with no regard for the physical and mental well-being of the person being smuggled."