SAN DIEGO – On the surface, it seemed like a simple task: Drive to a spot a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, pick up people and then drop them off at a McDonald’s or other spot past the city of San Diego, and make anywhere from $500 to $1,000. No need to cross into Mexico.
Two Marines whose arrests earlier this month for migrant smuggling led to the stunning arrests of 16 of their fellow Marines at Camp Pendleton described in federal court such an offer being made to them. One sailer was also arrested.
U.S. Border Patrol officials said smuggling rings have been luring U.S. troops, police officers, Border Patrol agents and others to work for them as drivers – a crucial component of moving migrants further into the United States once smugglers get them over the border from Mexico.
Border Patrol agents over the years have routinely caught migrants walking onto Camp Pendleton or floating in skiffs off the coast nearby. The camp, dissected by Interstate 5 leading to Los Angeles, sits along a well-traversed route used by smugglers.
Transporting migrants with American drivers can be more effective in avoiding detection. Customs and Border Protection has broad authority to question and search within 100 miles of the border.