Border Patrol foils migrant smuggling attempt on private jet in Texas

Border Patrol agents thwarted a human smuggling attempt in Texas last week involving four undocumented migrants that were about to board a private jet to get into the country, authorities said. 

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol Intelligence agents spotted two men and two women suspiciously walking onto the tarmac at Gulf Aviation in Harlingen on Thursday. However, Border Patrol agents intercepted the jet before it could take off. The agency said the use of the plane was “unconventional.”

The four undocumented migrants, from Guatemala and Honduras, and the two pilots were arrested. It is unclear if the pilots will face state or federal charges. The aircraft was seized by the Harlingen Police Department for its role in human smuggling. 

“Great work to all involved,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez, “This particular case highlights the importance of our law enforcement partnerships, especially intercepting unconventional smuggling methods.” 

Contrary to usual migrant smuggling schemes, the four migrants likely paid for “VIP” packages to board the private airplane, a law-enforcement source told The New York Post.

The average migrant pays around $2,000 to $3,000 for smugglers to get them across the border, usually in inhumane and dangerous conditions, such as traveling in a cramped tractor-trailer. 

To travel in a private airplane, however, the migrants could have paid around $20,000 each, if not more, the source said. 

“Every now and then, we’d get a report — whether it was in San Angelo or smaller airports — where aliens would be taken there and they’d be flown to other parts of the United States,” said former Border Patrol Agent Thaddeus Cleveland, adding that it is not a rare occurrence.