(video at source link)

Posted: May 23, 2016 4:50 PM PDT
Updated: May 23, 2016 4:50 PM PDT

HIDALGO — Business owners in Hidalgo said people are crossing the border illegally and trespassing into their property.

The latest incident happened on Monday, when a group of about 20 people were spotted in the area of South 23rd Street in Hidalgo.

Mostly ropa usada stores and thrift shops do business along the area of 23rd Street and Dicker. It’s about a mile-and-a-half from the Rio Grande.

A manager of a ropa usada facility said he and his employees see people crossing illegally six or seven times a month near the business.

“We see a lot of movement from the Border Patrol and DPS here,” he said. “We’re close to the river. They cross into the U.S., and we worry about our safety.”

The manager said the people who cross illegally often hide between cars when they spot law enforcement. Every time this happens, he and his employees are on edge.

“We’re scared there may be a shootout, because we don’t know if they’re just crossing or they’re drug traffickers,” the manager said.

A customer CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke to said the crossings don’t bother them. “I don’t think they’re dangerous,” they said.

Another customer said, “You don't know if they're dangerous. They can just take you out of the car and leave with the car without caring about anything. To me, that is very dangerous. That shouldn't be happening, especially in this area.”

The manager of the ropa usada facility admits there’s not much more that can be done to make the environment safer for employees and customers. He said he can only hope nothing bad happens.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS reached out to the Border Patrol to find out how many people were detained as a result of Monday’s search. We also asked about their policy when it comes to searching businesses for people who cross the border illegally. We’re still waiting to hear back from them.

http://www.krgv.com/story/32045360/p...ess-properties