Cartels using teens to smuggle people across border, officials warn

(NewsNation) — Mexican cartels are turning to teenagers to smuggle humans and drugs into the U.S. illegally, knowing they’re more difficult to prosecute in federal courts. Now, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers are riding with agents to make the arrests themselves and prosecute the teens in state courts.

NewsNation’s Ali Bradley rode along with troopers when they found a 16-year-old smuggler from Mexico whom authorities had encountered five times. He was hiding in a truck bed after moving two men into the U.S. illegally. The teen says he was promised $220 to guide each man across the Rio Grande.

Agents say he was combative, resisted arrest. Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas DPS said the teen’s demeanor changed substantially when he learned that he would face charges this time around.

“This particular 16-year-old has been caught more than five times, already, more than five times bringing people across. But because there’s no prosecution, there’s no consequences,” said Olivarez. “That’s why the cartels exploit that and use that to their advantage. So now that we have state troopers paired up riding with Border Patrol agents, we can actually take that 16-year-old and charge them with a felony for human smuggling and take them to jail and charge them with a state crime.”

Once juveniles are apprehended and arrested by Texas DPS, they’re held in a juvenile detention facility while their case is reviewed.

That could last up to 10 days. From there, they’re sent to detention. It could be for weeks or months, depending on the judge. From there, they’ll have an ICE detainer and will be returned to Mexico.

From there, they’re sent to a Mexican detention center for juveniles before being reunited with their parents.