253 Illegal Aliens Arrested Within an Hour at Texas Border

U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended two large groups of illegal aliens within an hour of each other near Mission, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2021. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Border patrol agents arrested a total of 253 illegal aliens within an hour at the Texas border in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Friday.

The arrests of two large groups of illegal aliens were made south of Mission, Texas, late on Thursday, the CBP announced in a news release. The groups, which had 166 and 87 people, consisted mainly of families and unaccompanied children. The group of 87 people had turned themselves in.

Other instances of illegal alien arrests were also noted by the CBP in its news release. The agency announced that border agents in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) sector received a tip about a possible stash house. The agents and local law enforcement on Wednesday arrested the 38 illegal aliens in the stash house, some of whom were trying to flee when the agents arrived at the scene.

RGV agents also arrested another eight people on Thursday afternoon. The eight were taken to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station to be processed, according to the CBP. Of the eight people, five were arrested after they were observed in a car leaving a suspected illegal alien stash house in Roma. RGV agents and police officers made the three other arrests when the occupants of the car said that there were more illegal aliens at the stash house.

The RGV agents also arrested 10 illegal aliens on Friday morning after they stopped a vehicle on U.S. Highway 281, near Linn, Texas. The vehicle “abruptly drove off the highway into a ranch fence” and the driver and all of the occupants of the vehicle tried to leave the scene before 10 of the group were arrested. The driver was not found, the CBP announced.

“Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation, The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements,” the CBP announced.

Texas recently won a lawsuit against the Biden administration over an executive order that Biden issued to halt the deportation of certain immigrants for 100 days. A federal judge temporarily blocked the order on Jan. 26.

The Biden administration has proposed a plan to legalize about 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States, something he had vowed during his campaign. Biden has also issued an order that halts all U.S.–Mexico border wall construction.