WEST TEXAS — The winter storm impacting Texas has slowed Border Patrol operations in the Big Bend Sector, but hasn’t stopped them. Agents have apprehended over 200 people so far in the course of their duties, pulling some from life-threatening weather conditions present across West Texas.
The massive winter storm blanketing the entire state of Texas has produced significant snow and prolonged freezing temperatures in West Texas between Sierra Blanca and Van Horn, where the majority of the Border Patrol apprehensions have occurred. One deceased individual, who likely succumbed to the harsh environmental elements, has been recovered by Big Bend Sector agents and local law enforcement. Approximately 10 people were admitted to regional hospitals for exposure, frostbite or more serious medical conditions.
Many people rescued by Big Bend Sector agents were found to have been abandoned by alien smugglers with some calling 911 operators seeking help or flagging down motorists as they reached area highways. Family members have reported their loved ones missing to Border Patrol, resulting in additional searches that may have saved their lives.
The apprehended subjects were found to be present in the U.S. illegally, with citizenship from numerous countries including Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, and were processed according to Big Bend Sector protocols for appropriate adjudication.