By
The Associated Press
RODEO, N.M. - U.S. Border Patrol officers discovered 130 undocumented immigrants crammed into a rental truck at a checkpoint near the Arizona-New Mexico border.
Agents stopped the 20-foot commercial rental truck early yesterday on N.M. 80 in Hidalgo County after noticing holes in the top of the trailer.
As the vehicle was coming to a stop, the driver bolted from the truck and ran into the desert. Authorities were unable to catch the man.
When agents unlatched the back door of the truck, they discovered one of the largest groups of illegal immigrants ever found in one vehicle.
The group was believed to have been in the truck for about 30 minutes before they were stopped. They apparently had not been given water or provisions, authorities said.
Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier said of the 130 people detained, 55 were from El Salvador, 31 were from Ecuador, seven from Honduras and four from Guatemala. The rest were from Mexico.
Mosier said the stop represents a growing trend in which smugglers use commercial trucks to move large groups of illegal immigrants into the United States.
He said the smuggling of illegal immigrants has increased by about 25 percent from this time last year. He said there have been about 870 stops this year.
"It has become more alarming lately because of the magnitude and the elements of danger in stops like this," Mosier said.
Authorities said the passengers in this latest stop each paid $800 to $2,000 to reserve their place in the truck.
Investigators said the group likely crossed into the United States on foot sometime over the weekend. They believe the truck was headed to Phoenix.
Mosier said the illegal immigrants will be returned to their home countries after being processed by Border Patrol.
