When the U.S. Border Patrol arrested a Rio Grande Valley man last week, he told agents: “if they didn’t let him go this time, it would just be a taxpayer funded vacation with three meals a day,” according to the federal criminal complaint against him.

At 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday, a tractor-trailer stopped at the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita.

The trucker, Rocky Eric Alaniz, 39, of Weslaco, had a history with Border Patrol.

Last month, when Alaniz stopped at the same checkpoint, Border Patrol found eight people hiding between boxes of cabbage in the trailer, according to the criminal complaint. Agents determined the people were not legally present in the United States and detained them. Border Patrol, though, released Alaniz without charges.

He returned less than a month later — on Wednesday, June 3.

Border Patrol searched his trailer and found 19 people hiding between boxes of produce, according to the criminal complaint. Agents determined they were not legally present in the United States and detained them.

“While ALANIZ was being brought out of his cell at the checkpoint to go claim his property from the vehicle, ALANIZ stated to BPAs that they would let him go anyway and that he would be out tomorrow,” according to the criminal complaint, which refers to Border Patrol agents as BPAs. “ALANIZ also stated that BPAs let him go last time and if they didn’t let him go this time, it would just be a taxpayer funded vacation with three meals a day.”

Alaniz is charged with transporting aliens within the United States in violation of law.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Alaniz, who remained in federal custody Sunday and couldn’t be reached for comment.