Texas officials find 19 undocumented immigrants in separate human smuggling attempts and stash house

Texas officials apprehended 19 undocumented immigrants found in separate human smuggling attempts and a stash house last week near the U.S.-Mexico border, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced. 

Three vehicles with 15 undocumented immigrants were pulled over on Thursday shortly after 5 p.m. in Webb County after immigrants noticed suspicious activity between two cars in a parking lot in Laredo.

One of the cars, a Chevrolet SUV, was pulled over by local agents, who found four undocumented immigrants in the trunk of the car. 

Authorities also pulled over a Dodge SUV near a hotel. Seven undocumented migrants were being transported inside the vehicle. 

Officials encountered a third vehicle that was deemed suspicious after it left a suspected stash house. After a pursuit by DPS troopers, the vehicle was finally stopped. Four undocumented migrants were found inside. 

Additionally, four other migrants were found inside the stash house that the vehicle had left from. 

The migrants apprehended in the four incidents came from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. They were handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol for processing. 

The DPS Criminal Investigations Division received assistance from the Texas Highway Patrol and U.S. Border Patrol for these apprehensions.