Authorities in Arizona foiled an elaborate illegal immigrant smuggling plot that involved the smuggler posing as a Border Patrol agent.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Investigations and United States Border Patrol agents stopped an SUV painted to resemble a Border Patrol vehicle. The truck, which appeared to be a Chevrolet Tahoe, featured logos and even a false Border Patrol economic number. The driver also wore a fake Border Patrol uniform. Inside, authorities discovered ten illegal immigrants.
Tucson USBP Chief Patrol agent John Modlin posted a photo of the cloned SUV and confirmed that the truck’s occupants were arrested. USBP Chief Raul Ortiz commented on the picture, praising agents for intervening with the smuggling attempt.
Outstanding job by Tucson Station and @HSIPhoenix apprehending a cloned Border Patrol vehicle involved in a smuggling operation. The migrant smuggling attempt included a driver wearing a fake USBP uniform. https://t.co/ipbR2Mc5WP
— Chief Jason Owens (@USBPChief) August 25, 2021
While Arizona is a smuggler hotspot, the vast desert makes immigrant smuggling particularly dangerous. According to a study undertaken by the University of Arizona, the state’s border has been the site of 3,356 undocumented immigrant deaths between 1990 and 2020.
To respond to the growing crisis, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced that he would be extending the National Guard’s presence at the border into 2022. He slammed the Biden-Harris administration, claiming that it has “utterly failed to secure the border.”
“​​It’s clear that this White House has neither the ability nor the desire to address the border disaster,” Ducey said in a statement.
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