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Dozens of illegal immigrants taken into custody; some treated for burns
06:12 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 24, 2005

By Mike Zientek / 11 News and Staff Reports

KHOU

Eleven men and four women were taken into federal custody.

Deputies serving warrants in southwest Houston Thursday stumbled upon a van carrying more than a dozen of illegal immigrants.

The deputies had gone to the Regency Square apartments in the 7200 block of Bellerive to serve the burglary and theft warrant.

The immigrants apparently saw them and panicked, thinking they were there to arrest them.

Several made a run for it, but 15 were rounded up and taken into custody.

Some of the immigrants had no shoes and their feet were seriously burned.

Twenty more were found hiding in a nearby apartment.

Some of the immigrants had no shoes and their feet were seriously burned. They were taken to an area hospital to be treated.

The other immigrants were exhausted, hungry and thirsty.

Police gave them water while they waited for federal agents to arrive and take custody of them.

They apparently just arrived in this country illegally from Guatamala, Mexico and Honduras. They will likely be deported after an immigration hearing.

One immigrant was arrested after allegedly fighting with a Pearland police officer who was trying to take him into custody.

Officers believe the coyotes who smuggled the immigrants got away.