Texas state troopers rescued a 5-year-old girl from smugglers who had transported her across the Rio Grande. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that the girl’s mother arranged the operation, having found the smugglers online and agreeing to pay them $8,000 to bring her daughter into the United States.
The rescue began when officers stopped a large pickup truck with the mother and a smuggler in the front and the child in the back. The officers knew the child was inside after seeing her being carried across the border on a surveillance camera.
The troopers asked the mother who was driving, and she claimed it was a friend she had met through social media.
When the officers spoke to the child, she confirmed that a man had carried her across the Rio Grande that morning.
Texas DPS reported that Roman Ibarra admitted he was set to receive $1,000 for smuggling the girl. He was arrested and charged with smuggling minors under 18 years old. Ibarra is a permanent resident.
The mother, Dolores Lopez, is a temporary resident from Mexico residing in North Carolina. The troopers referred both her and the child to the Border Patrol.
DPS is conducting a follow-up investigation. Authorities may file charges against the mother after the district attorney’s office reviews the case.
Since November, Texas DPS troopers have encountered more than 100 unaccompanied children crossing the border into the United States, with some as young as 2 years old.