Human Smuggler Crashes Plane near West Texas Airport

Sheriff deputies from one small West Texas county found migrants smuggled via small aircraft in a departure from the typical roadways. While responding to a report of a plane crash near the Presidio International Airport, deputies discovered the passengers were migrants being smuggled away from the Mexican border.

On Thursday afternoon, Presidio County Sheriff’s deputies located the aircraft north of the airport. With the help of Presidio Police, Border Patrol, and local fire and EMS, five passengers were located and treated for injuries. Some were transported to hospitals in El Paso for advanced care. The remainder were handed over to Border Patrol and will be processed for removal.

The pilot, according to authorities, managed to flee the scene. A preliminary investigation revealed excess weight of the passengers (six in four-seat plane) and low fuel likely contributed to the accident.

Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft, a 1963 single-engine Piper Dakota, is registered to an owner in Seminole, Texas. The incident remains under investigation by the Presidio County Sheriff.

The remote Presidio area is in the least traversed Border Patrol sector of the southwest. The Big Bend Sector has nonetheless experienced a near 100 percent increase in migrant traffic since November 2020. More than 3,200 migrants were apprehended in the region in November 2021.

Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 1.9 million migrants crossing the southwest border between ports of entry during 2021. Another 400,000 to 500,000 migrants managed to avoid apprehension entirely.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.

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