Border Patrol finds 15 migrants packed in pickup near Animas

Two unaccompanied minors were among 15 migrants packed into a pickup truck near Animas, a move Border Patrol said put them in immediate danger as the vehicle cut off-road through multiple fence lines in remote Hidalgo County.

U.S. Border Patrol said agents tracked the pickup by following its tire marks until they found the group. The El Paso Sector said smugglers involved in the case may face alien-smuggling charges, while the migrants will be processed for removal under Title 8.

The incident underscores how isolated stretches near Animas can be used to move people through harsh terrain and leave local responders to handle the fallout. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says preventing loss of life in that kind of country is part of Border Patrol’s core mission, and the agency has repeatedly warned that smuggling organizations use deceptive tactics and dangerous routes to push migrants across the border. The El Paso Sector spans about 432 kilometers of the New Mexico-Texas border with Chihuahua, including stations in places such as Lordsburg, Santa Teresa, Deming and Las Cruces.

The case also lands in a year when El Paso Sector encounter numbers have fallen sharply from last year. CBP data cited in local reporting shows 8,858 encounters from October 2025 through April 2026, down 77.4% from 39,676 in the same stretch of FY2025. April 2026 was the busiest month since June 2025, when Border Patrol recorded 1,631 encounters.

The Animas stop fits a broader pattern of off-road smuggling through isolated desert. On May 7, 2026, agents in the Santa Teresa desert detained five migrants and two smugglers after tracking tire marks from an abandoned pickup truck. For ranchers, deputies and search teams working far from pavement and services, each of these cases adds another high-risk call in country where a wrong turn can quickly become a medical emergency or a rescue operation.