Tagged News

• 'Agents could hear screams' from Hidalgo County tractor-trailer fire carrying 39 undocumented migrants; 2 suspects identified Play Video

  June 8, 2026 11:55 AM

  Authorities could hear screams coming from a tractor-trailer carrying 39 undocumented migrants after it caught fire near Linn, according to a criminal complaint. Jairo Juli Holguin-Florentino and Cristian Johansel Mirambeaux-Martinez were identified as the suspects arrested in connection with the incident. Both are facing federal charges of conspiracy to... more »

• Roma man sentenced after recruiting 15-year-old in human smuggling scheme

  April 20, 2026 11:17 AM

  A Roma man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for using a 15-year-old to smuggle Chinese nationals across the border, according to a news release from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Lizandro Monroy pleaded guilty on Dec. 8, 2025, and... more »

• Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido toured with bandmate convicted of child sex crimes

  April 2, 2026 5:16 PM

  WASHINGTON — South Texas Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido performed with a bandmate who is a registered sex offender convicted of indecent contact with an 8 year-old girl, drawing renewed scrutiny from his Republican opponent. Pulido is challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, a... more »

• 7 in custody following human smuggling chase that ended near Alamo Flea Market Play Video

  April 2, 2026 3:33 PM

  Seven people were taken into custody Thursday morning following a chase that ended near the Alamo Flea Market, according to sources close to the investigation. The chase began after Border Patrol agents attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle near Military and Veterans Boulevard. The vehicle... more »

• Three people in custody, one person at large following vehicle pursuit in Brownsville

  January 5, 2026 3:33 PM

  Three people are in custody and one person is still at large following a vehicle pursuit in Brownsville., according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The pursuit began in the area of Alton Gloor and Military Highway on Monday. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was... more »

• DOJ pushed to prosecute Kilmar Abrego Garcia only after mistaken deportation, judge's order says

  December 30, 2025 3:49 PM

  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. immigration officials do not plan to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia again as long as a judge's order banning it stands, according to a Tuesday court filing. The plans by President Donald Trump's administration are the latest in the saga over the Salvadoran citizen's case... more »

• Trump administration to add militarized zone along California's border with Mexico

  December 10, 2025 5:59 PM

  SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to add another militarized zone to the southern border — this time in California — as part of a major shift that has thrust troops into border enforcement with Mexico like never before. The Department of Interior said it... more »

• San Benito police detain 15 people following vehicle pursuit

  November 26, 2025 3:55 PM

  Fifteen people were detained Wednesday following a police chase in San Benito, according to a news release. The individuals are believed to be in the country “without authorization,” the city said in the release. According to the release, officers with the San Benito Police Department assisted U.S. Border... more »

• Abrego Garcia wins request for hearing on whether smuggling charges are illegally 'vindictive'

  October 4, 2025 11:40 AM

  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge has concluded that the Department of Justice's prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on human smuggling charges may be an illegal retaliation after he successfully sued the Trump administration over his deportation to El Salvador. The case of Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national... more »

• Former employee of Starr County DA’s office sentenced on federal human smuggling charge

  September 26, 2025 10:48 PM

  The former crime victims’ coordinator for the Starr County District Attorney’s Office was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday after confessing to using a county vehicle to smuggle immigrants to Houston. According to a criminal complaint, Bernice Annette Garza was arrested on Dec. 2022 during a traffic... more »

• Alamo man found guilty of killing Donna High School student Play Video

  September 24, 2025 12:15 PM

  A 23-year-old Alamo man was found guilty in the January 2020 death of a Donna High School student. Carlos Contreras was charged in the death of 18-year-old Genaro Isaiah “Izzy” Castillo. Jurors returned with the guilty verdict Wednesday after over four hours of deliberations. Sentencing for Contreras is... more »

• 2 men arrested for allegedly smuggling more than 50 undocumented migrants from Mission stash house

  September 23, 2025 12:21 PM

  A Houston man and a Honduras national were arrested for allegedly transporting 55 undocumented migrants from Mission to Zapata, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei. The news release said 43-year-old Brandon Lajohn Hargrove and 21-year-old Jose Luis Castellanos-Hercules attempted to smuggle the... more »

• Judge rejects motions to declare another mistrial in Carlos Contreras murder trial Play Video

  September 22, 2025 7:46 PM

  A judge denied two motions made on Monday to declare another mistrial in the murder trial of an Alamo man charged in the 2020 murder of a Donna High School student. Carlos Contreras, 23, is charged in the death of 18-year-old Genaro Isaiah “Izzy” Castillo. He died on Jan.... more »

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia requests asylum in the US, hoping to prevent his deportation to Uganda

  August 27, 2025 11:03 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has come to encapsulate much of President Donald Trump 's hard-line immigration agenda, wants to seek asylum in the United States, his lawyers told a federal judge Wednesday. The asylum request — Abrego Garcia's second, after a denial in 2019 —... more »

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces new deportation efforts after ICE detains him in Baltimore

  August 25, 2025 3:46 PM

  BALTIMORE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's aggressive effort to remove noncitizens from the U.S., was detained by immigration authorities in Baltimore on Monday to face renewed efforts to deport him after a brief period of freedom. Abrego Garcia's attorneys... more »

• Multi-agency operation results in arrests of nearly 80 undocumented immigrants in the Valley Play Video

  August 25, 2025 2:51 PM

  A total of 78 people were taken into custody for "various immigration-related violations" following an enforcement action throughout the Rio Grande Valley, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The news release said several arrested individuals have begun to make their court... more »

• US seeks to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda after he refused plea offer in his smuggling case

  August 23, 2025 12:04 PM

  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be sent to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing. The Costa Rica... more »

• 4 people arrested in connection with Hidalgo County human smuggling ring Play Video

  August 21, 2025 7:35 AM

  Four people were arrested in connection with the discovery of two stash houses in Edinburg and Donna that housed a total of 24 undocumented immigrants, according to a criminal complaint. The suspects are accused of harboring and transporting the immigrants at residences throughout Hidalgo County, according to a Thursday... more »

• Government rests their case in trial against Abby’s Bakery owners accused of harboring immigrants Play Video

  August 12, 2025 7:03 PM

  The trial against the owners of a bakery in Los Fresnos who are accused of hiring and housing undocumented immigrants continued on Tuesday. The government rested their case against defendants Leonardo Baez-Lara and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel. During the second day of the trial, jurors heard from two former... more »

• Human smuggling suspect facing federal charges after wrong-way chase ends in Weslaco Play Video

  August 12, 2025 9:14 AM

  An Indiana driver accused of human smuggling is now in federal custody. Cesar Rafael Leon, 34, made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, according to federal court records. He was turned over to the U.S. Marshals following the hearing. The indictment accuses Leon of picking up... more »

• Bond set for Indiana driver charged in Weslaco human smuggling chase Play Video

  August 6, 2025 10:39 PM

  An Indiana man remains in custody following a Monday police chase that the Texas Department of Public Safety said was human smuggling related, jail records show. Hidalgo County jail records show Cesar Rafael Leon, 34, was booked on Tuesday on multiple charges of human smuggling, evading arrest and aggravated... more »

• Starr County man, two Mexican nationals arrested after 33 undocumented migrants found in box trailer Play Video

  July 22, 2025 11:46 AM

  A Starr County man and two Mexican nationals have been charged with smuggling 33 undocumented migrants, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. According to a criminal complaint, 64-year-old Joe Michael Cruz, of Rio Grande City, and 19-year-old Elbis Lisandro Moreno Uruqia... more »

• Judge will consider releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail, possibly leading to his deportation

  July 16, 2025 12:05 PM

  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge in Tennessee could rule Wednesday on whether to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail to await trial on human smuggling charges, a decision that could allow President Donald Trump's administration to try to deport the Maryland construction worker for a second time. ... more »

• Alamo man sentenced for leading authorities in high-speed chase involving human smuggling

  July 1, 2025 2:38 PM

  An Alamo resident has been sentenced to federal prison for transporting undocumented migrants and leading authorities in a vehicle pursuit, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The news release said 37-year-old Margarito Llanes pleaded guilty April 22 and was sentenced to... more »

• Undocumented immigrants from Iraq, China apprehended in Starr County Play Video

  June 28, 2025 5:33 PM

  U.S. Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department apprehended four undocumented migrants in Starr County, including two 'Special Interest Aliens' from China and Iraq, according to DPS spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez. The arrests and seizure occurred on June 23. A Special Interest Alien... more »

• Smugglers to spend life in prison for 53 migrant deaths in 2022 human smuggling tragedy in Texas

  June 28, 2025 1:52 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two smugglers convicted of federal charges in connection with the deaths of 53 migrants found in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas in 2022 will spend the rest of their lives in prison after being sentenced Friday on the third anniversary of the tragedy.... more »

• Alleged human smugglers arrested following vehicle pursuit in Cameron County Play Video

  June 28, 2025 1:47 PM

  Two men were arrested in Cameron County on charges of human smuggling, according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez. In a post on X, Olivarez said Mexican national Jesus Yair Hernandez Rojas, who was in the country illegally, was charged with four counts of smuggling... more »

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in Tennessee federal court

  June 13, 2025 1:17 PM

  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, pleaded not guilty on Friday to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Tennessee. The plea was the first chance the Maryland construction worker has had in a... more »

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US, charged with transporting people in the country illegally

  June 6, 2025 4:56 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administration's stepped-up immigration enforcement, was returned to the United States on Friday to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought... more »

• Former government-contracted employee sentenced after smuggling 39 migrants on charter bus

  June 5, 2025 9:04 PM

  A woman who identified herself as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee to Border Patrol agents during a smuggling attempt in Falfurrias was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison, federal court records show. Nancy Berenisse Fernandez Luna pleaded guilty in December 2024 to a charge of conspiracy... more »

• Valley dealerships prepare to replace paper license plates in accordance with new law Play Video

  June 4, 2025 11:38 AM

  Starting July 1 in Texas, paper license plates will be no more. They will now be a thing of the past when buying a vehicle. House Bill 718 makes it mandatory for car dealerships to issue metal plates upfront before a vehicle is driven off the lot. "It... more »

• 16 arrests made following discovery of suspected stash house in Mercedes Play Video

  June 3, 2025 6:46 PM

  A suspected stash house in Mercedes was uncovered Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resulting in the apprehension of 16 undocumented migrants, according to a news release. The news release from ICE said the agency received a tip from an anonymous caller reporting that multiple undocumented individuals were... more »

• Texas Supreme Court gives initial win to Paxton in migrant shelter case

  May 30, 2025 10:55 AM

  " Texas Supreme Court gives initial win to Paxton in migrant shelter case " was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief ,... more »

• Human smuggler that led authorities in Roma vehicle pursuit sentenced to federal prison

  May 27, 2025 3:33 PM

  A human smuggler that led U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in a vehicle pursuit has been sentenced to federal prison, according to a news release. The news release said Julian Alberto Soto pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges and was sentenced to more... more »

• Border agents stop human smuggling attempt near UTRGV Brownsville Play Video

  March 10, 2020 4:50 PM

  BROWNSVILLE – Border Patrol stopped a human smuggling near UTRGV Brownsville on Tuesday morning. Agents went into a nearby drainage pipe as they believed human smugglers tried to flee on-foot. Two people were detained. Border Patrol agents say they found other people believed to be in the country... more »

• La Joya Police Acquire Tasers to Help in Increase of Evading Arrest Situations Play Video

  December 11, 2019 5:24 PM

  LA JOYA – Police in a Rio Grande Valley city are seeing an increase in people evading arrest and not complying. This sudden spike is leading them to seek more weapons. For the first time, the La Joya Police Department is getting Tasers. An electric shock for police they... more »

• Valley Law Enforcement Engaging in More Pursuits Linked to Human Smuggling Play Video

  November 20, 2019 6:41 PM

  MISSION – Pursuits are becoming a daily occurrence in the upper Rio Grande Valley. On Wednesday morning, state troopers were trying to stop a 28-year-old for a traffic violation on El Faro Road in Sullivan City. Then he went on a high speed chase leading to the discovery of... more »

• Mission Teen Pleads Guilty to Using Rideshare App for Human Smuggling Play Video

  October 16, 2019 5:36 PM

  EDINBURG – A teen using a rideshare mobile app to smuggle people back in April plead guilty. In April, CHANNEL 5 NEWS showed police body cam footage of a Sullivan City officer pulling a Lyft driver over. The officer noticed two people in the vehicle were soaking wet.... more »

• Brooks Co. Officials See Increase of Smugglers Using Stolen Vehicles Play Video

  October 15, 2019 5:22 PM

  FALFURRIAS – A spike in immigration-related crime popping up just north of the Rio Grande Valley. Brooks County sheriff’s deputies are seeing an increase of stolen vehicles coming from north Texas. Many of the cars and trucks were used by human or drug smugglers. Sheriff Benny Martinez... more »

• Pre-trial Hearing Expected for Man Accused of Human Smuggling Play Video

  October 4, 2019 10:26 PM

  ALAMO – The case against an accused human smuggler is moving forward. Authorities say Nathan Tamez crashed into an Alamo home after he was shot back in June. Two people in the country illegally were allegedly in the vehicle Tamez was driving. The shooters were never found.... more »

• Pharr Man Convicted in Human Smuggling Case near Corpus Christi Play Video

  August 18, 2019 8:57 PM

  CORPUS CHRISTI- A Pharr man was found guilty in a human smuggling case near Corpus Christi. Heriberto Lerma Jr. was driving a tractor trailer through the Javier Vega Jr. Checkpoint, near Sarita back in April. Lerma told Border Patrol agents he was hauling a load of building materials.... more »

• 6 Arrested in Unique Smuggling Attempt involving Porta Potty Play Video

  May 23, 2019 5:33 PM

  DONNA - A unique smuggling attempt was foiled in South Texas on Monday. A group of immigrants were caught hiding in a unique container. The incident happened just south of Donna, an area known for smuggling according to court documents. The criminal complaint identifies Alberto Vite-Parrilla. ... more »

• Mission Man Sentenced for Killing 2 during Smuggling Attempt Play Video

  May 21, 2019 4:39 PM

  MCALLEN – A Mission man is sentenced in a human smuggling case. Two migrants died in a crash near Mission in Nov. 2015. Investigators say 26-year-old Osvaldo Gonzalez served as a lookout in the smuggling run. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Gonzalez awaits... more »

• Tip Leads to Stash House Bust in San Juan Play Video

  April 4, 2019 10:28 PM

  SAN JUAN – A stash house was busted in San Juan off of Lila Street. San Juan’s police chief says officers acted on a tip regarding a human smuggling operation and ended up taking five people into custody. One person fled the scene. The case was turned... more »

• 2 Men in Custody in Connection to Fatal Human Smuggling Attempt Play Video

  March 20, 2019 4:43 PM

  LA JOYA – Two men are in custody in connection to a fatal human smuggling attempt. The incident happened last Wednesday in La Joya. The Department of Public Safety says the suspected human smuggler slammed into another vehicle as he tried to flee from police. The 18-year-old... more »

• Human Smuggling Attempt Stopped in Falfurrias Play Video

  February 13, 2019 6:36 PM

  FALFURRIAS – A human smuggling attempt was put to a stop at the Falfurrias checkpoint. Agents at the checkpoint found ten people in the U.S. illegally, hidden inside a tractor-trailer on Tuesday. The people are believed to be from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The driver... more »

• Traffic Stop Leads to Human Smuggling Bust in Falfurrias Play Video

  January 27, 2019 4:18 PM

  FALFURRIAS- Police are investigating a traffic stop that turned into a human smuggling case. They say a driver pulled into an apartment complex and bailed out with a passenger on Tuesday. Both were eventually caught. 12 people in the U.S. illegally were found inside the truck and... more »

• Mission Teen Behind Bars for Human Smuggling Play Video

  January 21, 2019 6:48 PM

  SULLIVAN CITY – A 17-year-old has been charged with human smuggling. Police Chief Richard Ozuna explains the 17-year-old had five people in the U.S. illegally in his vehicle. The teen admitted to picking them up for quick money. KRGV’s Angelo Vargas spoke to a home and business... more »

• Mother of Border Patrol Agent Killed while Fishing Speaks to President Play Video

  January 10, 2019 5:05 PM

  MCALLEN – The mother of a Border Patrol agent killed while fishing with his family spoke with President Donald Trump Thursday. The mother of a former agent, Marie Vega, stood before a panel of Washington leaders and reminded them no parent should bury their child. Agent Javier Vega... more »

• Grand Jury Indicts Driver Accused in Human Smuggling Case

  August 17, 2017 2:01 PM

  SAN ANTONIO – A grand jury in San Antonio indicted a driver accused in a human smuggling operation. James Matthew Bradley Jr. , 60, faces five charges, including illegally transporting immigrants for financial gain. Ten people died last month inside the trailer Bradley Jr. was hauling . Two people remain... more »

• Truck Driver Speaks Out About Pressure from Human Smugglers Play Video

  July 24, 2017 11:03 PM

  WESLACO – A Rio Grande Valley truck driver said smugglers often pressure them and make them offers to haul people in the country illegally. On Monday, 10 people died in the back of a hot tractor-trailer in San Antonio. The driver of the truck is now facing human smuggling charges.... more »