Suspected smuggler arrested after leaving 5 migrants stranded in water, Port Mansfield police say
Related Story
Port Mansfield, TX (KRGV) — A female smuggler was taken into custody after officers rescued five people who had been left on an inflatable raft near the Mansfield Cut, according to the Port Mansfield Police Department.
Elisa "Licha" Ramirez was taken into custody on Monday by U.S. Border Patrol agents in connection with the smuggling attempt, police said.
Officers found the five people Sunday morning in the water. Police officer Joe Mendiola said he found the group during a maintenance run.
"When I saw them, I saw that they were by the water and just sitting around. I saw no fishing gear, and usually people out there are fishing, and they were just sitting by the water," Mendiola said.
Port Mansfield Police Chief David Mayes said smugglers brought the group into the area and left them in the water near the Mansfield Cut on a two-person inflatable raft. He said three were from Honduras and two were from Ecuador.
"They had been smuggled toward our area, held in a stash house, and then paid quite a sum of money to get here and make this crossing," Mayes said.
Mayes said the water conditions were dangerous when officers found the group. The five migrants were turned over to federal law enforcement.
"That time of the morning is the peak of the tide. That means the water is flowing outward towards the Gulf from Laguna Madre. They had no oars," Mayes said. "It's a very dangerous situation to be on the beach alone, let alone crossing that waterway where it ranges anywhere from 18 to 23 feet across there. It's very deep. We have people lose their lives out there, typically every year, doing this same event."
Mendiola said the Port Mansfield Cut is part of a route some migrants take to head north.
"We're about 60 miles from the border. But once they make it to South Padre Island, that's the straightaway all the way to the waterway where I found the individuals," Mendiola said.
This was not the first time migrants passed through the area, Mayes said. He said officers have seen more rafts and life jackets left at the Mansfield Cut over the past eight months.
"This has been going on for quite some time. This time of the year, it usually picks up," Mayes said. "The smugglers do like weather like this, where it's a little cooler, because they end up having to go anywhere from five to 60 miles up the beach if they make the crossing."
Mayes said officers will increase patrols on the water.
"To the smugglers: We're paying attention. We are not going to let you continue to put lives in danger so that you can make money. These are human beings, and we're going to look out for them and make sure they're safe," Mayes said.
Additional information on Ramirez's arrest was not available.
Watch the video above for the full story.
News
