Thread: New Task Force Busts Four Illegal Immigrant Smuggling

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/10873907/detail.html

ONLY ON KFOX: New Task Force Busts Four Illegal Immigrant Smuggling Attempts

POSTED: 7:47 pm MST January 29, 2007

-- An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said 15 illegal immigrants were found in total and all of them were found by a newly created task force initiated by the Department of Homeland Security.

We talked to one local business that played a small role in the operation.

The Special Enforcement Task Force included members from the Sheriff's Office, the Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Just moments before this stop, which KFOX first told you about on Saturday, at Gateway East and Giles, employees at Saturn of El Paso said they saw four vehicles pull up with Mexican license plates and go inside their used car building. Fred Betancourt, one of the salesmen, thought they were customers and went inside to find out what was going on.

"They were inside that building taking pictures and video and they show us the badges that they were from ICE," Betancourt said.

That shocked Betancourt, who was then forced to stay in the building with the agents.

"We were like OK, cause they were like flashing with the badge and we were like OK," said Betancourt.

Agents waited for Sheriffs to pull over a semi- truck and soon after is when Betancourt said they invaded the cargo area of the truck.

"We first thought they were getting drugs out, but then we saw they were getting people out of the back of the truck," said Betancourt.

Betancourt said he's never experienced anything like this while working at Saturn and while he didn't mind cooperating with the agents, the investigation ruined business at the dealership that day.

"Saturday is one of our busiest days and they basically blocked our main entrance or driveway and as soon as they started doing everything with the police cars, business was dead," said Betancourt.

ICE said all of the trucks were headed to various locations including Phoenix, L.A. and Chicago.

Ice said three of the busts involved semi trucks and the other involved an SUV. The 15 illegal immigrants had their initial appearance Monday and are now in custody of the U.S. Marshals.

All of the drivers were legal to be in the U.S. and are in federal custody awaiting bond hearings.

No word on what charges the drivers will face.

Great! We need lots more of this!

http://www.elpasotimes.com/breakingnews/ci_5119567

More truckers being caught with migrants (5:08 p.m.)
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
El Paso Times
Article Launched:01/30/2007 04:53:41 PM MST

Tractor-trailers continue to be a preferred way of smuggling migrants, at a great cost to truckers who get tempted by the promise of easy money, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Last weekend, agents arrested three truckers who worked for at least two different smuggling rings and who now face up to five years in jail.

One, who is not a U.S. citizen, will probably lose his green card. All will lose their rigs, which were seized by the government.

One truck belonged to an unnamed trucking company and the two others belonged to the truckers themselves.

"All independent truckers and companies are vulnerable if the truckers are being approached and accept the money offered to them," said Daniel Page, ICE assistant special agent in charge in El Paso.

The truckers arrested last weekend transported migrants in the sleeper compartments of their 18-wheelers, not in the trailers.

Their arrests were the work of a new task force called Border Enforcement Security Task force, or BEST, with members from ICE, the Border Patrol, El Paso Sheriff's Department and the U.S. Attorney.

Those arrested were Genaro Tapia Saldaña, 46, of Long Beach, Calif.; Joel Victoria Michaca, 42, of Banning, Calif.; and Homero Perez Silva, 36, a permanent U.S. resident who lives in Juárez. Tapia was arrested Saturday at the Petro Truck Stop in Anthony, Texas, after three undocumented immigrants were spotted climbing into his cab.

Victoria was arrested Sunday on the 7700 block of Gateway East after officers saw three undocumented immigrants climbing into his 18-wheeler at the Petro 2 Truck Stop in Vinton.

One man was hiding in a closet and the two others under the bed. Perez was arrested Sunday at Interstate 10 at Trans Mountain Road. Six undocumented immigrants, including a 6-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, were under the sleeper compartment.

The truckers said they were paid between $400 and $600 per immigrant. The migrants were headed to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago.

Also arrested this weekend was Magdalena Estrada Collazo, 44, of El Paso s Lower Valley, with three undocumented men in her 1998 Ford Expedition. Her vehicle was seized as well. All were charged with alien smuggling.