EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two siblings are now facing smuggling charges after they stopped for gas in a small Texas town with a large migrant detention facility earlier this week.
The arrests of Sebastian Ruiz and Jesus Ruiz, who is also known as “Gabriella Ruiz Murillo,” happened following a tip received by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Dilley, Texas. The alert concerned a gray Chevrolet Traverse that purportedly evaded highway immigration checkpoints in South Texas.
Dilley hosts the South Texas Family Residential Center, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility with a capacity of 2,400, operated by a private contractor.
The agent observed that the SUV appeared to be “riding low in the rear,” reminiscent of carrying excessive weight, while it was heading to a gas station situated at the junction of State Highway 117 and Interstate 35.
The agent parked near the vehicle, seeing the passenger enter the building as the driver displayed “nervous behavior,” which included frequently glancing into the mirror, taking selfies with a cellphone, and applying lip gloss, according to federal court documents.
The driver disembarked and began to walk away after the agent switched off his vehicle. Subsequently, the agent approached the driver and initiated questioning, the documents reveal.
The driver allegedly was uncooperative and told the agent, “You are not my attorney. I don’t have to talk to you.”
Additional border agents arrived at the convenience store and the driver and passenger agreed to cooperate with an immigration inspection, records show.
Border agents opened the door and observed “a pair of feet sticking out” from an open vehicle sunshield in the back. In total, they found four adults and two underage Mexican citizens illegally present in the United States inside the SUV, according to a complaint affidavit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
In a later interview with Homeland Security Investigations agents, Gabriella Ruiz Murillo allegedly stated the migrants were dropped off outside a relative’s home in Crystal City, Texas, by an unknown individual.
Sebastian Ruiz allegedly told agents he was to be paid $1,500 for driving the migrants to San Antonio, court records show.
The adult migrants told investigators they paid between $6,500 and $7,000 to be smuggled from Mexico to the U.S. and then be transported to the interior of the country.
Sebastian and Jesus Ruiz were charged Tuesday with transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. They have a detention hearing scheduled on Oct. 7 in San Antonio. The migrants have been placed in removal proceedings.
