3 Fort Cavazos soldiers accused of smuggling undocumented migrants into Texas
Three Fort Cavazos soldiers have been arrested after they allegedly took part in a conspiracy to smuggle people into the country illegally.
On Nov. 27, a U.S. Border Patrol agent attempted to pull over the vehicle in Presidio, Texas, along the Rio Grande.
The vehicle fled and hit a second Border Patrol vehicle, injuring the agent inside, according to court documents.
Presidio County deputies and Presidio police officers stopped the car and detained four people.
One Mexican national and two Guatemalan nationals in the country illegally were among those inside the vehicle.
The fourth person, Emilio Mendoza Lopez, was the passenger in the front seat.
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The driver of the vehicle, who authorities say was Angel Palma, ran from the scene and was located the next day at a hotel in Odessa. He and Jauregui were arrested on December 3 on Fort Cavazos.
Investigators say Mendoza Lopez and Palma traveled from Fort Cavazos to Presidio to pick up the undocumented migrants. Enrique Jauregui allegedly recruited the men and facilitated the smuggling.
Court documents show that investigators obtained a search warrant for Palma's phone and show messages from all three soldiers talking about the plan.
Mendoza Lopez is charged with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens.
Palma and Jauregui are scheduled to appear in front of a judge in Waco on Dec. 6.
They are charged in a separate criminal complaint with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens and another count of assaulting a federal agent.