77 migrants including one fugitive discovered in stash houses

EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Border Patrol Agents and law enforcement partners arrested an individual wanted for murder as part of a group of 77 smuggled migrants discovered in two stash houses in El Paso on Tuesday.

U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Anti-Smuggling Units (ASU), Homeland Security Investigations, El Paso Texas Constables and Texas Department of Public Safety served a warrant on a property on Overland Avenue encountering 72 individuals living in overcrowded and squalid conditions. Border Patrol Agents had received information regarding a possible stash house in that area.

When searching the premises, agents located migrants inside a storage shed with limited air flow, small windows and piles of trash. Agents identified two of the migrants at the property as the caretakers of the residence and both will face charges for human smuggling.

During the investigation, agents discovered a second property on Val Verde Street with five additional migrants. The 77 migrants were from Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, and were found to be in good condition. All migrants encountered were processed under Title 8 for removal.

During records checks in the processing center, one of the arrested individuals from the Dominican Republic was identified in The International Criminal Police Organization database as wanted for murder in his country of origin.

During Fiscal Year 2024, El Paso Sector human smuggling interdiction teams have uncovered more than 270 stash houses in the sector with 2,663 migrants taken into custody.

"The citizens in our local El Paso community provide an important partnership to help us safeguard our city. We encourage anyone with information to report suspicious activity to our office. A phone call could help our agents disrupt criminal smuggling and possibly save lives," said A. Scott Good, El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.