Thread: TX: Woman alleges rape in human trafficking case

Woman alleges rape in human trafficking case
By Sergio Chapa
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 5:22 p.m.


A Guatemalan woman is recovering after she was allegedly raped by a man who was supposed to help smuggle her to Houston.

Cameron County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Taurino Rodriguez and Javier Salgado-Martinez on state human trafficking charges on Monday.

Authorities added aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint and sexual assault charges against Rodriguez based on the Guatemalan woman’s allegations.

Both men appeared before Cameron County Magistrate Judge Luis Saenz on Wednesday morning.

According to investigators, their alleged victim is an illegal immigrant who paid $7,000 dollars to be smuggled to Houston in October.

The woman traveled from Guatemala to Monterrey and then on to Reynosa before being brought into the Rio Grande Valley.

She alleges that she declined Rodriguez’s advances and that’s when he took her to a tire shop off Commerce Street in Harlingen.

Rodriguez is accused of raping the woman and telling her that, “There’s nothing she could do and that he does that to all the women he helps smuggle.â€

I don't know if I'm wrong for saying this, but karma sucks!! She shouldn't have ILLEGALLY tried to break our laws! This would not have happened if she hadn't done so.

Here is more on rape at the border:
http://www.10news.com/news/21646903/detail.html

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities said a desolate corner of San Diego County may be its most violent area. It is so dangerous 10News crews had to put on bulletproof vests before entering the area near Boulevard.

"The violence in this area is so bad that a 12-year-old was raped to death," said Estela De Los Rios of the Center for Social Advocacy.

In the area, authorities said there are pieces of evidence left behind that serve as a grim reminder of the violence happening near the U.S.-Mexico border.

"They're ruthless; they'll come over here, they'll pick one out that they want, they drag her off onto the rocks, they'll rape her and they just leave them here," said Carl Braun, founder of the Border Patrol Auxiliary, a group that assists U.S. Border Patrol agents.

The rapes are committed by the people the victims trust, authorities said. The women and their families give their life savings to human smugglers, only to be hurt by them.

"What they'll do is they'll get them in sight of the border or right across the border and then they'll demand a form of payment that wasn't agreed to on the front end. They will take them off and then rape them," said Braun.

After raping the women, authorities said the smugglers hang their underwear on the trees as trophies to mark their brutal conquests.

Braun said he has witnessed a woman being raped but could not help because it happened on the south side of the border.

"In the morning, we found her undergarments hanging from that stick that's sticking up by the fence there," said Braun.

Braun said the violence has now crossed the border into San Diego County.

Armed with guns, Braun and his colleague Mike Schmid escorted 10News to a place where they said rapes have happened.

A young girl's underwear hanging from a tree and a woman's pair of pants was found on the ground during 10News' journey. Braun said he has also found women wandering lost in the area who just wanted to go home.

"These people are afraid, these women are in danger, they're afraid for their lives," said Schmid.

De Los Rios said most victims are too scared to come forward, and without evidence or witnesses no investigations are ever started.

"We cannot let children be raped on the border, regardless of what side. It's very sad to know that this is occurring on a daily basis," said De Los Rios.
Copyright 2009 by 10News.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wow, so she traveled all the way from Guatemala to the US with these guys, only to be raped in the US? How convenient for her. Angling for a "victim" visa?

Sorry, but I have zero sympathy for her. She put herself in that position. The stories about what happens to women when they pay smugglers to get them into to US are well known to all South/Central Americans.

Another puzzling question...where does an allegedly "poor" Guatemalan woman get $7000??

I'd deport her butt right outta here, along with the two scumbags.

I disagree we have a duty to protect her and punish her perpetrators, too. We may not like the smuggling that is going on, but along with stopping it we should protect the victims as well.

Originally Posted by miguelina

Wow, so she traveled all the way from Guatemala to the US with these guys, only to be raped in the US? How convenient for her. Angling for a "victim" visa?

Sorry, but I have zero sympathy for her. She put herself in that position. The stories about what happens to women when they pay smugglers to get them into to US are well known to all South/Central Americans.

Another puzzling question...where does an allegedly "poor" Guatemalan woman get $7000??

I'd deport her butt right outta here, along with the two scumbags.

Originally Posted by digorykirke

I disagree we have a duty to protect her and punish her perpetrators, too. We may not like the smuggling that is going on, but along with stopping it we should protect the victims as well.

Too easy to exploit!