Texas Sheriff: Mexican Cartels Preparing For Massive Human Smuggling Operation

Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

The Biden administration has begun to lift Title 42 enforcement. Mexican cartels have been making preparations in order to transport a huge number of illegal immigrants. Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd shared this information with The Center Square during an exclusive interview.

Boyd calls the migrants “modern-day slaves” who are being moved “through a massive human trafficking network” into Houston.

“Cartels are preparing to transport slaves to Houston for distribution throughout the U.S.,” he said.

Boyd explained to The Center Square that after the Biden administration declared it would end Title 42, there was an increase in human smuggling in Goliad. He said that his deputy officers have made several arrests of smugglers over the past weeks.

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However, what’s more remarkable is the fact that they found stolen cars hidden in brush along farm-to market roads. He stated that these vehicles were deliberately left there in order to aid human smuggling. The sheriff’s office also received reports of stolen vehicles from residents living in remote areas at the edge of the county, which is out of the ordinary, he added.

“Activity is picking up,” he told The Center Square. “We suspect that the cartels and their operatives are making preparations for the coming surge by stealing and stashing trucks, identifying unused rural properties, and scouting foot paths. Due to the overwhelming number of people waiting to gain illegal entry into Texas, we suspect that illegal aliens will once again be stashed illegally on private property in our area.”

Boyd is aggressive in fighting illegal immigration, even though his county lies 150 miles north from the Texas-Mexico border.

Goliad is the location of the famous Mexican Army massacre in which Texas revolution troops were killed. It might not seem an ideal place to host another Mexican battle. Boyd and eight of his deputies have to fight the most dangerous transnational criminal groups in the world, the Mexican cartels. Boyd said he and his deputies are standing in the way of cartels and their operatives motivated to make tens of millions of dollars a week trafficking people as a result of the Biden administration’s open border policies.

Goliad County is approximately 850 sq. miles and it’s a highly trafficked county. This is where Mexican cartels as well as Texas gangs seek to set up stash sites or stop points for human trafficking, while they travel north towards Houston.

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Houston, the largest city in Texas, is one of the largest human trafficking hubs in the U.S. From Goliad, it’s roughly a two-hour drive northeast on Highway 59. Laredo can be reached by driving approximately 3 hours from Goliad.

Boyd stated that over the past year, Boyd has been working with his deputies to monitor 16 locations of known stashes within the county. They’ve been working 24-7 catching mostly single men, tracking them into the brush on foot even into the night. They’re pursuing illegal immigrants evading capture who bail out of vehicles after high-speed chases. They chase trespassers who are stealing vehicles and other property, as well as breaking into private property on their journey north.

Boyd described a recent encounter between a resident and an illegal immigrant on a ranch with high-game fences. The border was located between Charco, Runge. The encounter took place while the owner was on fishing trips with his wife.

“Fortunately, the trespasser fled instead of engaging with them,” Boyd said, as he and his deputies learned about the incident after the fact. “But landowners in rural areas need to be vigilant. This isn’t the first time our residents have encountered illegals in this part of Texas. There are known foot paths they’re taking as they head north already scouted by the cartels.”

Texas cartel operators have identified paths for illegal immigrants traveling on foot. For example, illegal immigrants who travel north on foot follow landmarks such as pipelines and railroad tracks. You may see them as scouts or traveling in small groups. They’re often given cell phones with GPS pin drops to locate stash sites along the way. These stash locations are frequently littered by trash and vehicles’ seats.

Normally underfunded and understaffed, Boyd’s office received additional funding through Texas’ border security initiative Operation Lone Star. The funding enabled him to hire additional deputies and to create a task force with other sheriffs’ offices and agencies. Texas’s legislature allocated $3 billion last year to strengthen border security.

Boyd indicated that their regional task force has already proven to be a success in counterintelligence operations.

However, he’s warning Texans to remain vigilant, and Americans, to realize that “Biden’s border crisis isn’t limited to the border. It’s heading north to every major city and small town in the U.S.”

This article was syndicated by permission of The Center Square.