BROOKS COUNTY, Texas – It’s an operation that Brooks County sheriff’s deputies say knows no time and has no bounds. Smuggling of migrants can happen in backroads or in high-traffic areas.
Brooks County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sam Rosas looks out for suspicious vehicles possibly linked to the smuggling of migrants. He is only one of five patrol deputies.
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“It’s about 960 square miles for this county,” Rosas said. “It’s mostly brush country. We have four deputies on patrol and then one on shift. One (patrol deputy) a night and then one day shift, and that’s it.”
He makes his rounds along Highway 281 through cities, including Encino and Falfurrias.
“North of the checkpoint, that’s where (smugglers) pick up (migrants),” Rosas said. “That’s where it gets more complicated. It’s a lot harder to find the vehicles that are coming from northern states.”
So far this year, Brooks County reports 170 drivers charged for smuggling migrants.
“(Smugglers) can load up 10 to 15 bodies in less than 15, 30 seconds. It doesn’t take that long,” Rosas said.
Although the sheriff’s office is understaffed, roadways are constantly patrolled by other local, state and federal agencies.
“This memorandum of understanding that we have (since Operation Lone Star) with other counties throughout the coast all the way up to Fort Bend, it helps us identify these (stolen) vehicles,” said Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martínez.
“Then we can detain them here. They can definitely detain them as they travel because we do still have locals that are into the smuggling operations,” Martínez added. “We have people from Houston that drive down in stolen trucks. We have property damaged constantly.”
According to Rosas, smugglers do not always seek the backroads to pile in migrants.
“Usually, south of the (Border Patrol Falfurrias) checkpoint, they drop off,” Rosas said. “It can be anywhere between the Hidalgo County line (and) the checkpoint, and then north of the checkpoint (is) where (smugglers) pick up. That’s where it gets more complicated. It’s a lot harder to find the vehicles that are coming from northern states.”
And while deputies keep an eye out for smugglers, scouts are on the lookout for deputies. Scouts help alert the smugglers that deputies are present. Currently, more help and funding are needed, according to Martínez.
“I need more boots on the ground, you know,” Martínez said. “At least on the minimum between 15 or 20 deputies can sustain this. And then you can create your own constant rescue crew that can help.”