Federal agents and Texas state troopers rescued 39 suspected undocumented migrants from a locked tractor-trailer moments before it was engulfed in flames following a pursuit near the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint Thursday night.
According to U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jared Ashby, the incident began at approximately 8:36 p.m. Thursday when a tractor-trailer approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint in Encino, Texas. During an immigration inspection, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted the trailer.
Rather than stop for further inspection, the driver allegedly fled the checkpoint.
“Despite deflated tires, the suspect continued driving until the tractor caught fire,” Ashby said in a post on X.
Ashby said Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were able to force open the locked trailer and rescue the suspected undocumented migrants before the tractor and trailer were consumed by flames. All occupants were medically screened for injuries before being taken into custody.
The pursuit ended near Linn, a rural community in Hidalgo County along U.S. Highway 281, about 46 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Pharr, Texas.
The incident forced the closure of southbound lanes on the highway, one of the primary freight corridors connecting the Rio Grande Valley with the rest of Texas. Authorities later reopened the roadway.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra posted on social media Thursday night that the truck was involved in a human smuggling incident and was being pursued by law enforcement when it caught fire approximately six miles north of Linn.
The blaze drew a large response from local firefighters and law enforcement agencies. The sheriff’s office provided a photograph showing the trailer heavily damaged by fire while emergency crews worked to extinguish the flames. No serious injuries have been reported.
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