OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:54 AM PT
Residents in a Texas border town say they are living in fear of so-called “cartel coyotes.” According to residents near the Falfurrias border checkpoint on Monday, the area has become a stomping ground for human traffickers.
One rancher — identified only as Solia — said she regularly sees armed cartel gunman directing groups of illegal migrants as with as many as 70 people through her property in hopes of bypassing border check points. She also said the groups frequently threaten residents to stay quiet.
In this Thursday, March 14, 2019, photo, a Border Patrol agent talks with a group suspected of having entered the U.S. illegally near McAllen, Texas. While many adults crossing the border on their own in South Texas try to flee agents, most migrant parents and children wait to surrender so they can be processed and released into the United States. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
“They just put a finger to their lips and it’s like… ‘you better not say anything’…they know what we drive, they know where we live,” explained the Texas rancher. “They were trying to get in towards the house.”
Solia said she feels so threatened that she can no longer leave her house without a gun. She also said the number of human traffickers she sees has increased over the past years, and clearly illustrates the need for a wall at the border.