Undocumented immigrants rescued after smuggler abandons them

July 23, 2010 11:18 PM
Neal Morton
The Monitor

LA GLORIA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents rescued an undocumented immigrant from Honduras whose coyote abandoned him and six other immigrants Friday near La Gloria, according to a news release from the agency.

The two agents were tracking just north of Farm-to-Market Road 755 when they saw a group of seven men in nearby brush.

The group, which included citizens of Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala, had stayed behind with the Honduran after he apparently experienced leg paralysis.

The coyote had abandoned all seven of them.

The agents administered first aid to the Honduran and then carried him a quarter of a mile to their vehicle to take him to a Starr County hospital.

“In this case, human life took precedence,â€