HSI: 13 migrants, alleged smuggler arrested at Central El Paso stash house

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — For the second time this week, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso special agents arrested undocumented migrants found inside a stash house in El Paso, the agency said in a news release.

This time, special agents arrested 13 migrants and arrested an alleged smuggler on Thursday, Aug. 8 at a Central El Paso house rented through the Airbnb application.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers — members of the HSI-led Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) — assisted with the operation, HSI said.

Special agents arrived at a house on the 600 block of Cebada Street after the property owner contacted HSI to report that she suspected her house was being used to harbor migrants. The group inside the house consisted of nine undocumented citizens from Mexico and four from Guatemala, HSI said.

Agents arrested a U.S. citizen and charged him with human smuggling, according to a news release sent out by HSI.

The migrants had been at the stash house for a day, according to HSI.

“And although the conditions inside the stash house were better than most, the migrants were crammed into small quarters,” HSI said.

The group consisted of 10 men, two women, and a juvenile. The migrants’ ages ranged from 16 to 44. They were all turned over to U.S. Border Patrol for processing.

“Airbnb stash houses is a new trend. It’s become the popular alternative to motels or hotels because smugglers can book them online in their home country, and check-in remotely without having to meet the property owner in person.  At times, the smugglers tend to damage the Airbnb property at the owner’s expense,” Jason T. Stevens, acting special agent of HSI El Paso, said.

Members of the public, who have information about smuggling activity, are urged to call the HSI tip line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP (1-877-447-4847).

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