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Former HISD teacher accused of human smuggling
FOX 26 is shining a light on the growing problem of human smuggling and "people for sale." We learned on Thursday a former HISD teacher has been arrested for human smuggling. FOX 26's Damali Keith reports more on what this educator is accused of doing.
HOUSTON - A teacher with Houston ISD teacher was arrested and charged with multiple felonies in Kinney County, reports say.
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Earlier this week, Gracia was arrested in South Texas and charged with smuggling several people, according to Kinney County Sheriff's Office.
"What we're gathering is he was contacted on social media, wanted to make some quick money, came to the border and picked up at a pre-determined location and was headed back to Houston," explains Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe.
Sheriff Coe says Gracia was stopped for a traffic violation near the Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, and was found in the car with two men and two women who, according to border patrol, were in the U.S. illegally and supposedly tried to hide when the deputy stopped the car.
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"The individuals were in the backseat laying down trying to conceal themselves," says Sheriff Coe who adds smugglers are often promised from $1,000 to $5,000 per person but a lot of the times he says they never receive it.
Brandan Gracia (Photo courtesy of Kinney County Sheriff’s Office)
The Kinney County Sheriff’s Office says Gracia had an ID card from Patrick Henry Middle School in HISD. Houston Federation of Teachers Union told FOX 26 Gracia worked at HISD’s Patrick Henry Middle School, but he was not a member of the union.
HISD confirmed Gracia is a teacher in the district and he once taught at KIPP Texas.
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"He's looking at state jail time. He could get up to six to eight years for all this. Best I can tell this is his first time. We are catching some that have no criminal history, never been in trouble before in their life, and they've hit a point in life where they think they need money bad enough that they're going to try this. So we need to turn the economy around. We need to educate people, and we need to find the source," Sheriff Coe adds.
He says last year alone his deputies arrested 741 people who were treating other people as cargo, and smuggling them into the U.S. for money.
"The year prior to that was 169, and we thought we had really put a dent in it. Then 2022 came around and showed us how wrong we were," explains the sheriff who says some smugglers believe they’re helping non-U.S. residents out of a bad situation, but he points out once the immigrants are out of that person’s vehicle, and out of their possession, they often end up trafficked and in worse situations than they were originally escaping.
Officials have not told FOX 26 where Gracia was planning to take the migrants, who are expected to be sent back to their home country.
According to many border patrol reports, often young women are told they will receive jobs in housekeeping and waitressing in the United States, but officials say, the women are often forced into prostitution.
It is not yet determined what the details are in the case.