EL PASO, Texas – Migrants are increasingly becoming victims to kidnapping, extortion, ransoms and physical abuse in this border region, targeted by local gangs, working with major criminal organizations, the FBI said Monday.
The groups target each other’s stash houses to force recently arrived foreign nationals to call relatives here or in their home countries so they can send money to their new captors, according to Special-Agent-in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey.
Downey described the gangs as “a little bit of a hybrid … It is the same group that smuggles them across the border, but we are also seeing … that competitive organizations are also attempting to kidnap their victims, and bring them into their organization to extort family members out of money. So it’s a very complex operation that they’re running, but there are multiple organizations that are out there doing this.”
Relatives of migrants are being asked to pay thousands of dollars for the release of their loved ones. Depending on the originating country, whether Mexico, Central America, or beyond, migrants already pay tens of thousands of dollars to smugglers to cross them into the United States.
El Paso and communities in surrounding southern New Mexico are now experiencing what is happening in other cities, including Phoenix, related to the increased stash houses and ransom calls.
The trend also comes as the number of migrants in the El Paso sector is showing a steady increase, with many coming in large groups as the peak season for migration nears.
Last week alone, FBI agents, working in coordination with agents of the U.S. Border Patrol, rescued 24 victims from stash homes in the El Paso area, said Downey, during a virtual press conference Monday. He called the rising number of victims “serious” and a “significant uptick,” adding that since January, “upwards of 40″ migrants have fallen prey to criminals.
“The business of smuggling individuals into the U.S. is a very lucrative business,” Downey said. “There is a lot of money that flows through that operation. So that’s why these groups are doing it.”
Downey said the victims rarely report the incidents out of fear they will be deported, but added that specialists will be working with victims and immigration officials to figure out the best process forward. He didn’t say whether migrants would be eligible for special victim visas to cooperate with federal authorities. Downey also called on the community to report any unusual activity in their neighborhoods, describing potential “stash homes” with strange vehicles with “different license tags,” including “temporary tags.”
“You may also see large amounts of food and water being taken into the house on a daily basis,” he said. “You may see numerous people coming and going from these residences.”
He also urged friends and relatives of the victims who received calls for ransom to remain calm and listen carefully to what the caller is saying and demanding and to call 911 or the FBI El Paso office.
“If possible, ask to speak to the victim directly and ask how you can be assured that they are ok,” and “tell them you need time to meet their demands…Most importantly don’t directly challenge the caller or argue with them.”
In a statement, El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in a statement her agency is committed “to jointly targeting these Transnational Criminal Organizations.”
