6 trucks with 165 people stopped; 6 vehicles escape

GABRIELA RICO

In an unprecedented move along the U.S.-Mexico border, a convoy of 12 pickup trucks packed with suspected illegal immigrants barreled through the Tohono O'odham Nation and tried to run down approaching Border Patrol agents.
Agents stopped six of the vehicles Wednesday night and found 165 people stashed in the beds of the trucks, said Greg Maier, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson sector.

"Smugglers are getting desperate in their attempt to enter the United States illegally," said David Aguilar, chief patrol agent of the Tucson sector. "Their options are dwindling, and now they are making bold and dangerous moves to get their human cargo over the border."

This type of daring convoy has not been seen before by the Border Patrol, he said.

An anonymous caller to the Border Patrol station in Casa Grande alerted agents to the convoy near the town of San Miguel, west of Tucson, Maier said.

When agents caught up with the vehicles, the drivers changed direction and scattered.

One of the trucks got stuck in sand, and agents were approaching it on foot when the driver of a second truck gunned his engine and headed toward the agents, Maier said.

Agents shot at the oncoming truck, which changed direction and darted back into Mexico, along with three of the other pickups from the group.

Four of the trucks, which were turned over to Tohono O'odham police, had been reported stolen, Maier said.

Another truck was found abandoned a short while later, and agents are investigating whether a second abandoned vehicle found yesterday was part of the convoy, he said. The other trucks escaped into Mexico.

The 165 people were still being processed yesterday, and their nationalities were unknown last night, he said. None of them reported any injuries, and none of the agents was hurt.