EXCLUSIVE — State officials in West Texas have uncovered a campsite located 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border that human smugglers had set up and used as a rest site for illegal immigrants trekking through a remote area to avoid getting caught, according to the Texas General Land Office.
Human smugglers, known as coyotes or guides, who lead illegal immigrants through the mountains and desert in the expansive Hudspeth County have been walking through state-owned land to get people to an area north of Sierra Blanca, an unincorporated area along Interstate 10. Hudspeth County has a population of approximately 3,200 residents.
BEHIND THE SCENES AT AMERICA'S FENTANYL SEIZURE EPICENTER
"Recently, I was alerted to an uptick in illegal traffic on our state lands in Hudspeth County, Texas. Shockingly this encampment is over 30 miles off the beaten path of the border crossing," Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "This Biden-created humanitarian crisis has not only affected Texas’ border towns — but this massive migration is also creeping into the heart of our country."
The highway is the only major road in the region and is the main thoroughfare for drivers who have been paid to pick up and transport illegal immigrants further into the United States, according to Buckingham.
Piles of clothing and backpacks, along with man-made shelters and tents, were discovered north of Sierra Blanca, roughly 30 miles away from the border.
Dozens of empty water bottles and pink and black backpacks are scattered under bushes, leaving a trail of evidence of the belongings left behind. Pickup drivers do not allow immigrants to bring baggage into the cars.
The tent is composed of sticks as its frame and pieces of fabric and clothing as walls. It is tucked into the rocky side of a hill.
A spokeswoman for the Texas General Land Office said the commissioner had alerted the Texas Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement about the illegal traffic in the area.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The state learned of the dumping and traffic from a rancher who had leased the land to raise cattle.
The rancher reported daily break-ins to fenced-in areas and recently chose to sell all of the cattle because the constant breaches allowed animals to escape.