Stunned by the latest example of deadly smuggling operations on the U.S.-Mexico border, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday vowed to use all his government tools to end the practice.
In a statement, Acting Director Thomas Homan said, “So long as I lead ICE, there will be an unwavering commitment to use law enforcement assets to put an end to these practices.”
ICE is the lead U.S. law enforcement agency responsible for fighting human smuggling and human trafficking https://t.co/cM6tUeJ98T pic.twitter.com/0udEuERIc0
— ICE (@ICEgov) July 24, 2017
Some 10 people died in an un-airconditioned tractor trailer in San Antonio, Texas this weekend.
The situation reminded Homan of an infamous 2003 incident in Victoria, Texas where 19 died in a trailer. In an interview with Secrets last week he recalled the personal impact of investigating those deaths and ripped cartels for trafficking in humans.
He referenced that investigation in his Monday statement:
“By any standard, the horrific crime uncovered last night ranks as a stark reminder of why human smuggling networks must be pursued, caught and punished. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations works year-round to identify, dismantle, and disrupt the transnational criminal networks that smuggle people into and throughout the United States. These networks have repeatedly shown a reckless disregard for those they smuggle, as today’s case demonstrates. I personally worked on a tragic tractor trailer case in Victoria, Texas in 2003 in which 19 people were killed as a result of the smugglers’ total indifference to the safety of those smuggled and to the law.
“The men and women of ICE are proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners, including locally and at the U.S. Department of Justice, to combat these smuggling networks and protect the public and those who would fall victim to their dangerous practices that focus solely on their illicit profits. So long as I lead ICE, there will be an unwavering commitment to use law enforcement assets to put an end to these practices.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
