New footage recently posted to X reveals human smugglers’ tactics for returning to Mexico and evading capture by law enforcement.
Texas Department of Public Safety Spokesman Chris Olivarez posted two videos to X on Friday, explaining that “The videos show recent smuggling events captured by @TxDPS in the #RGV. Criminal cartels & smugglers coordinate with each other as they evade law enforcement to avoid arrest.”
The videos are posted below.
In the first video, a smuggler in a black pickup truck can be seen fleeing local law enforcement in a high-speed chase. The smuggler then pilots the vehicle straight into the Rio Grande, bails out, and swims the remainder of the distance back to Mexico.
A second video features a cartel raft originating in Mexico that floated across the Rio Grande to retrieve a smuggler who, similarly, abandoned his vehicle in the river and attempted to swim across. He successfully made it back to Mexico with the assistance of the cartels.
In another incident earlier this year, human smugglers attempted to fill a vehicle with illegal aliens but were busted by troopers. As the officers moved to arrest the smugglers, they fled the scene—driving the vehicle, loaded with three illegal aliens, into the Rio Grande. The smugglers subsequently swam to the Mexico side of the river.
As the crisis at the southwest border rages on, the Texas National Guard continues to work toward securing the border.
“Texas National Guard soldiers continue to work around-the-clock to reinforce, repair, and redouble razor wire along the border,” Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X today.
“Texas’ historic border efforts are working,” he continued. “We will continue to use every tool and strategy to protect our state—and nation.”
#SPLASHDOWN: An example of how criminal smugglers evade law enforcement by driving their vehicles into the Rio Grande. The videos show recent smuggling events captured by @TxDPS in the #RGV. Criminal cartels & smugglers coordinate with each other as they evade law enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/kiWeV9uVZ1
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 11, 2024
#SPLASHDOWN: An example of how criminal smugglers evade law enforcement by driving their vehicles into the Rio Grande. The videos show recent smuggling events captured by @TxDPS in the #RGV. Criminal cartels & smugglers coordinate with each other as they evade law enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/kiWeV9uVZ1
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 11, 2024
