27 immigrants held at checkpoint
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
07/04/2008
Border Patrol agents detained 27 illegal immigrants Thursday after inspecting a tractor-trailer at the North Interstate 35 checkpoint, authorities said.Two of the immigrants requested medical treatment for dehydration, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release stated.

Also, one of the individuals had an outstanding warrant on driving under the influence charges and was turned over to the custody of the Webb County Sheriff's Department.

The rest were charged with entry without inspection under Operation Streamline or processed for removal from the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of the tractor-trailer driver.

According to the CBP news release, agents conducted an immigration inspection on the tractor-trailer driver at about midnight.

A Border Patrol canine then alerted agents to the presence of people or contraband in the trailer's cargo. As a result, the vehicle underwent secondary inspection and was examined by the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System, "which used gamma rays to produce an image similar to an X-ray," the news release stated.

The machine produced an image of what appeared to be humans among boxes of cargo, authorities said. The cargo was listed as electronic equipment.

When agents opened the trailer, they found the 27 illegal immigrants standing shoulder-to-shoulder in an aisle between the boxes of cargo.

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