Texas officials are warning of an increase in human-trafficking operations across the border via airplanes.
Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez joined “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday to share why this is another result of the federal government’s “open border policies.”
“They’ve allowed this organization to expand into a domestic criminal enterprise. So now it’s become more commonplace to use airplanes for smuggling methods. And we were able to disrupt and stop three airplane smuggling attempts in 30 days from three airports other than the Rio Grande Valley,” he told Brian Kilmeade.
TEXAS HUMAN TRAFFIC BUST FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT PLANE, INCLUDING SUSPECT OF DEPORTED CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT
Says the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). human trafficking attempts by plane are becoming more common in the border state.
“These are small private airports. They’re not using the bigger airports where there’s TSA. These are the smaller airports where you don’t have the security measures for private planes. It’s a little difficult … to monitor every single airport.” .
Olivarez said Houston has become a “major hub” for human trafficking and drug trafficking.
Olivarez said one of the migrants caught on a flight had a fraudulent Texas ID card and was found to have an active warrant out of Wisconsin for the sexual assault of a child.
“The Border Patrol helped us. They were able to identify him by fingerprints. He was a deported felon, and he also had an active warrant from Wisconsin for sexual assault of a child,” Olivarez said, noting the number of “runaways.” which have evaded detection at the border in recent years.
Olivarez said DPS recently stopped migrant trafficking from the Dominican Republic.
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The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) released an image of the human trafficking plane stopped at Mid Valley Airport in Weslaco, Texas.
(Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS))
“Each of these immigrants told our law enforcement personnel that they paid $11,000 each to be smuggled on a plane.”
Olivarez said he worries that criminals and suspected terrorists could pay that kind of money to fly over the border “and get inland.” [U.S.].”
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report
