Cartels Now Recruiting U.S. Army Soldiers for Human Smuggling
In a sign that Mexican cartels are emboldened by the increasingly lucrative business of bringing illegal aliens into the United States, two soldiers in Texas have been arrested on human smuggling charges within two weeks of each other.
First, Savion Johnson, a Texas National Guard soldier assigned to Operation Lone Star in Eagle Pass, Texas, was arrested for allegedly smuggling an illegal alien over the southern border. His plan was foiled when he encountered a pop-up tactical Border Patrol checkpoint in Kinney County.
Not only did he encounter the checkpoint, but he turned around and fled the agents when they attempted to stop his SUV. Texas DPS deployed spike strips to stop him.
The illegal alien ran from the SUV but was later caught and processed by Border Patrol. The soldier was arrested and charged with evading arrest, human smuggling and unlawful carry of a weapon.
In the second incident, Branden Broadhead, an Army Reserves soldier, was arrested after he said he picked up two illegal aliens in Eagle Pass, then turned around when he encountered the same tactical Border Patrol checkpoint as in Johnson’s case.
Broadhead said he was promised $5,000 to smuggle the two illegal aliens and agreed to it because his mom is sick. Johnson was allegedly offered $5,000 to $6,000 to smuggle the individual.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said these cases show the soldier (and potentially other freelance smugglers are “being lured into this because of the promise of big money.” That big money means anyone can be recruited to aid in human trafficking, and the cartels are thriving due to the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border and take on these criminal organizations.
The cartels know the border is open. There have been 1.8 million known gotaways who have crossed our border and into the interior of the United States, plus an unknown number of additional illegal aliens who entered undetected. When FAIR was in Texas and talked to a border resident, she told us that she met a group of illegal aliens on her property who had paid a coyote $17,000 to cross the border. The human smuggling business is booming.
The case also proves that border security measures like tactical Border Patrol pop-up checkpoints work in catching human smugglers and illegal aliens. Still, the border must be locked down to disrupt the business model of the human smuggling industry.
Despite the open-borders advocates’ desire for no coordination between local and federal officials, these cases demonstrate how important that partnership is. The Border Patrol manned the checkpoint, but it was Texas Department of Public Safety officers who used spike strips to stop Johnson. Further, Kinney County deputies assisted with the arrest.
Unfortunately, officials believe the trend of cartels recruiting military members is not something that is going to end any time soon. Sheriff Brad Coe added, “I think it’s more widespread than anybody wants to believe,” regarding human smuggling.
Even American teens are smuggling illegal aliens into the United States at an alarming rate. No one is immune from getting sucked into this terrible business. The solution is to deter and prevent illegal crossings by securing the border. If the cartels know they can’t get people across the border, their business suffers. The punishments for human smuggling must be stiff to deter Americans from getting involved.
Governor Abbott said, “If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal… We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve.” That’s the right tone to set.