Illegal immigrants caught after short chase

Dec 31, 2007

Group bailed from Suburban

Ofelia Garcia Hunter, Alice Echo-News Journal

About two dozen undocumented immigrants attempted to escape in the brush off of County Road 2044 after a traffic stop, county officials said.

"I tried to pull over the Suburban and it kept going and going on (County Road) 2044 and traveled about a mile," said Sgt. Ray Aguilar with the Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department. "(The driver) put the vehicle in reverse and I had to move forward to stop it from leaving."

Aguilar said his unit had minor damage to the license plate from bumping with the Suburban.

Aguilar said that about 25 men and women ran into the brushy area off of County Road 2044 at 7:45 a.m. Friday. The suspicious vehicle had been noticed by another deputy and radioed it in on South Highway 281 before Aguilar spotted it. Aguilar said the white Chevrolet Suburban was impounded by the sheriff's department and about 30 minutes later, border patrol Freer sector used helicopters to round up about half of the undocumented immigrants.


About 12 were taken into custody by border patrol, officials said.

Aguilar said with the holiday season behind, more immigrants try to make their way back into the United States.

"I'm sure it's going to pick up the influx of aliens," he said.

"They go home during the holidays."

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