U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas over the recent weekend encountered the biggest single group of illegal immigrants so far this fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Agents with the Rio Grande City station on July 17 encountered a group of 298 people walking north along a ranch road near La Grulla after illegally entering the United States, according to a CBP statement released on July 19. That’s the largest single group so far this fiscal year, CBP noted, amid a spike in large groups of people crossing the southern border illegally.
One individual within the group showed symptoms of COVID-19 and was taken to an area hospital, where the person later indeed tested positive for the CCP virus.
“Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger, nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation,” CBP said.
On July 16, agents apprehended an additional group of 235 illegal immigrants near La Grulla, including 27 unaccompanied children, according to CBP. Another large group of 203 illegal immigrants was found on July 18, along the same ranch road as the July 17 group.
Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings on July 20 shared photos of one of the encounters on Twitter, along with the message that a total of more than 15,000 illegal immigrants were taken into custody in the Rio Grande Valley sector in one week. – READ MORE
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