Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley had an eventful holiday weekend keeping the border secure, according to Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. This took place during the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend.
"WEEKEND RECAP! Throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, our #RGV Agents remained vigilant, patrolling, and protecting our communities. Outstanding work being done in the RGV! 2,047 Migrant Apprehensions 127 Gotaways 11 Human Smuggling Cases 14 Human Smugglers 2 Narcotics Seizures (483.60 lbs. of Marijuana) 2 Large Groups (110, 109) Checkpoint Traffic Inspections: Falfurrias – 50K vehicles Kingsville – 23K vehicles Fort Brown – 3K vehicles #BorderProtection #BorderSecurity #LawEnforcement #WeekendStats #SouthTexas #RioGrandeValley", said Gloria I. Chavez.
As part of this comprehensive report, The Rio Grande Valley sector is one of the busiest in the country as a news release in July states that agents encountered 648 migrants in Hidalgo and Starr Counties over the course of five days.
To further contextualize this information, According to the news release, 520 migrants were taken in Starr County by agents from the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station. Much of the group was comprised of unaccompanied children, family members and single adults from a multitude of countries in Central and South America. Moreover, Border Patrol Agents in McAllen encountered a large group of 128 migrants in Hidalgo County consisting largely of family members and single adults from Guatemala and Honduras.
The issue also involves what are referred to as 'large groups', Large groups consist of over 100 individuals encountered at the same time, according to U.S. Border Patrol documentation purposes. Since October 2022 until July, Rio Grande Valley Sector agents encountered 51 large groups.
In addition to this data, "Our Border Patrol agents continue to be vigilant in their duties to secure the border day in and day out and treat everyone they encounter with dignity and respect, in stark contrast with the transnational criminal organizations who consistently place financial gain above human life," said Chavez.
The challenges that these agents face are diverse, According to the media release, large groups are considered ideal by smugglers in remote areas where they believe agents will have a difficult time encountering them. Border Patrol agents in this area are known to rescue a high number of undocumented migrants due to unpredictable river currents and record high temperatures that are typical of the Rio Grande Valley.
Last but not least, "Migrants seeking illegal entry into the United States will be subject to removal proceedings," added Chavez.
