South Texan charged with smuggling 23 migrants in stolen truck

Mission, Texas ( Border Report ) — A man from the South Texas border town of Laredo has been charged in federal court with smuggling undocumented migrants after law enforcement arrested him in a stolen truck full of migrants.

Joseph Bridges is charged with bringing in and harboring aliens, according to court documents filed in the U.S. Southern District Court of Texas in Laredo.

Bridges was arrested Aug. 19 in a stolen tractor trailer in Encinal, Texas, about 40 miles northeast of Laredo, on Interstate 35, which leads to San Antonio.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent reportedly pulled over the white Freightliner tractor hauling a belly dump trailer because the agent noticed the tractor had a temporary license plate on the windshield that was upside down, the Laredo Morning Times reported Tuesday.

Bridges told law enforcement the trailer was empty but a K-9 unit was called and alerted agents that narcotics or people were in the truck. A search of the truck’s sleeping area found 23 migrants including an unaccompanied minor, the newspaper reported.

No hearing date has yet been set.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@Borderreport.com.

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