- Smugglers using videos to show migrants how to jump on and off trains
- Border agents say the more you pay the cartels, the better they prepare you
- The train journey can be extremely dangerous and several have been killed
By Ali Bradley
Updated August 12, 2024 / 06:00 PM CDT
NewsNation) — Human smugglers are teaching migrants how to jump on and off moving trains in order to enter the U.S. undetected, according to a memo exclusively obtained by NewsNation.
Border Patrol agents tell NewsNation the recent memo alerted them to a new TTP, or “Tactics, Techniques and Procedures,” describing how migrants are being instructed to jump off trains in a way that tries to avoid injury.
This has now become a daily occurrence at the southern border, along with all the dangers that come with it. According to agents, the more migrants pay the cartels, the better they set you up for success on the journey into the U.S. Authorities warn of cartel drone incursions along southern border
Migrants are being sent instructional videos; some even receive protective gear like helmets and rash guards.
Border agents say cartels are convincing desperate people that it is possible to jump from a moving train safely, evade law enforcement and slip into the U.S. undetected. Officials say for the cartels, it is about supporting their $13 billion a year industry, not about helping people.
“This is just an extra thing that they’re doing in order to create more chaos, more, you know, disruption, and at the same time, move agents from one area to the other. So when you start seeing that, hey, the trains are coming through the area, what are they going to have to do? Intel is going to say, hey, you’re going to have to put more resources in that area,” said Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council.
Many migrants are hopping on a train called La Beastia, also known as the Train of Death, in southern Mexico. The train then travels to the U.S.-Mexico border, an extremely dangerous journey for migrants who are on board illegally.
Last month, 23 migrants were found stashed inside a train in Laredo, Texas. Law enforcement says the tactic is very dangerous as migrants are generally locked inside, sometimes in triple-digit heat, without a way to escape.
Border Patrol reported several incidents where migrants have been hurt, including having limbs amputated by the train, or have been killed attempting to take this route. They are now reportedly using extra tools to extract all subjects safely in such cases.
Some migrants in Del Rio, Texas, are boarding Amtrak trains after getting tickets from smugglers. As a result, agents are conducting regular immigration checks and discovering people who are in the U.S. illegally.
