BP Arrests 30 Illegal Aliens Aboard Stolen Pickup

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 30 illegal aliens during a vehicle stop and recovered a stolen truck in Douglas, Arizona, Monday.

Around 7 a.m., Tucson Sector agents patrolling east of town responded to a concerned citizen’s report of a suspicious vehicle near the international boundary.

Agents located the Ford F-250 pickup truck approaching Douglas on a dirt road. As they attempted a vehicle immigration stop, the driver abandoned the truck in the driveway of a random house and fled on foot into nearby neighborhoods.

Agents discovered 30 Mexican nationals, including women and children, packed in the vehicle. All 30 were found to be illegally present in the United States and consequently expelled to Mexico via Title 42 authority.

After an exhaustive search, agents were unable to locate the driver of the pickup truck. Records checks revealed the truck was reported stolen out of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

“Smugglers have long disregarded the safety of migrants. Now, during the pandemic, they not only risk the lives of migrants, they risk all of our lives by shoving migrants into vehicles without social distancing, without facial masks, and without any regard for the exposure of COVID-19 to other migrants and public at large, ” said Tucson Sector Chief Roy Villareal. “They show no regard for the lives they exploit, our workforce or the communities our agents strive to protect in the midst of this public health crisis.”