Border Agents Arrest 100 in Illegal Immigration Sting

By J. Gelband, 11-13-07

The Associated Press is reporting a sting operation in Twin Falls that led to U.S. Border Patrol agents arresting about 100 people.

According to the article, the Magic Valley appears to be a hub for human smuggling and the city was targeted after commercial bus employees told law-enforcement officials that they suspected illegal immigrants were buying large numbers of bus tickets.

Actually, the legal residents were buying the tickets and then giving them to illegal immigrants to use. At least 15 bus lines were being used for the smuggling operation.

Officials don’t know exactly why Twin is a focal point for illegal immigration but one officer suggests that smuggling traffic is moving north because of all the agents patrolling the border areas. The article notes other hotbed destinations are Boise, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, and South Carolina.

“About 20 percent of the people we apprehended actually were from two vans — both with Oregon plates — buying tickets en route to Orlando, Florida,” U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Alex Harrington said. “Another 10 percent were en route to Laredo, Texas, and another 10 or 15 percent were en route to Salt Lake City.”

Harrington said that all but three of the roughly 100 arrested were believed to Mexican citizens, about one-quarter of whom had criminal histories.