Driver arrested for human smuggling, 5 of 6 Guatemalan nationals located in field outside of Houston
WALLER COUNTY - A suspected human smuggler was arrested Friday about 35 miles west of Houston after bailing out of a pickup truck with 6 Guatemalan nationals in the vehicle.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE
"As soon as the truck stopped, everybody came out of it," said Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry.
Dashcam video obtained by Fox 26 shows a driver and 6 passengers bail out of a white pickup truck Friday along Interstate 10 near Woods Road. All seven people scattered into a nearby field in Waller County.
The driver, along with 5 of the 6 passengers, had been located as of Friday evening.
Waller County search: Several suspects fled after traffic stop, sheriff's office says
"It’s going to be a smuggling charge on the driver," said Sheriff Guidry.
After being captured, the passengers told law enforcement they’re from Guatemala. All of them were wearing camouflage.
"[This happens] about every other week," said Sheriff Guidry. "We do have an issue with human trafficking in Waller County. It’s everywhere, but we’re doing something about it here in Waller County. We’re going to work it."
Illegal crossings at the United States-Mexico border surged this week. Border Patrol sources tell Fox News that there were 10,000 migrant encounters Wednesday at the southern border.
A State of Emergency was issued in Eagle Pass. In addition, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday ordered additional busses to be sent to Eagle Pass and El Paso. The busses will send more migrants to sanctuary cities out of state.
"[It] happens everyday all over the county [and] in the United States," said Guidry. "We have this problem right now."
Authorities in Waller County called off the search Friday around sunset for the 1 remaining migrant