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The Department of Justice has announced the arrest of three US Army soldiers on charges of human smuggling and assaulting a federal agent in connection with an operation to transport illegal immigrants near the US-Mexico border.
What’s the deal: According to prosecutors Emilio Mendoza Lopez, Angel Palma, and Enrique Jauregui, all US Army soldiers based at Fort Cavazos, Texas, were involved in a conspiracy to smuggle illegal immigrants. On November 27, law enforcement stopped a vehicle near Presidio, Texas, carrying Mendoza Lopez, a Mexican national, and two Guatemalan nationals. Angel Palma, who was driving at the time, fled the scene and struck a CBP agent’s vehicle, injuring the officer inside. Mendoza Lopez remained at the scene and was taken into custody, while Palma was located the following day at a hotel nearby. Jauregui, identified as the recruiter and facilitator of the operation, was arrested days later at Fort Cavazos.
Investigators recovered evidence from Palma’s phone, including incriminating text messages revealing the trio’s plans to travel nearly 500 miles from Fort Cavazos to Presidio to pick up and transport the undocumented individuals. The operation was allegedly orchestrated by Jauregui, who coordinated the logistics, while Mendoza Lopez and Palma carried out the transportation.
Big money: While prosecutors have not disclosed how much the trio was set to earn, human smugglers often pay individuals significant sums to transport illegal immigrants after they cross the US border. In our previous border coverage in Texas, Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe told us that some drivers are offered between $2,000 and $8,000 per person they transport. Payment depends on various factors, including the number of passengers, the risk involved, and the distance traveled.
This all comes amid other incidents involving US military personnel and National Guard members being implicated in human smuggling operations. Notably, in Kinney County, Texas, a National Guardsman deployed as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle illegal immigrants in a private vehicle. The Guardsman, who was part of the border security initiative, was apprehended after local authorities stopped his vehicle and discovered undocumented immigrants inside.
