An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Border Patrol Averts Potential Crisis at I-19 Checkpoint

Border Patrol Averts Potential Crisis at I-19 Checkpoint

Release Date
Fri, 10/17/2014

TUCSON, Ariz. – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents recently removed nine individuals locked in a rental truck.

Border Patrol agents rescued nine individuals from the inside of a rental truck that was stopped at the I-19 traffic checkpoint on Oct. 16

Border Patrol agents rescued nine individuals from the inside of a rental truck that was stopped at the I-19 traffic checkpoint on Oct. 16.

Early Oct. 16, Nogales agents at the I-19 checkpoint encountered a rental truck towing a Toyota pickup truck. After the driver consented to a search of the rental truck, agents opened the latched cargo door and discovered nine illegal immigrants – eight from Mexico and one from Guatemala. There was no means of escape available to immigrants locked inside. 

All individuals were taken into custody and processed in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines. 

The driver, a United States citizen, will be prosecuted for alien smuggling.

Unscrupulous smugglers have no regard for human life and often place illegal immigrants in precarious situations.  Border Patrol values lives and continues to work diligently to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations who put lives in danger each day.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021