Authorities have uncovered what they believe to be a human smuggling operation involving more than a dozen people inside a residence in Texas.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with Laredo Border Patrol, carried out the operation on Tuesday, December 17, in Laredo, Texas, according to an announcement shared on social media.
During the operation, officials discovered 17 individuals who were unlawfully present in the United States.
One person, identified by authorities as a “suspected caretaker,” was arrested and is facing charges of human smuggling.
Authorities made an arrest following the discovery of this alleged human smuggling ring, where 17 undocumented immigrants were found in the Laredo home on December 17, 2025. (Laredo Border Patrol)
A photo posted on the Laredo Border Patrol’s social media shows 10 individuals, with most having their faces obscured, seated on the kitchen floor of the house.
Authorities did not provide details regarding the identities of the 17 illegal aliens or the alleged caretaker.
In a social media post, Laredo Border Patrol celebrated the arrest, writing, “Operation Success!”
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents arrested two American citizens on federal human smuggling charges after discovering four illegal immigrants inside a home in Laredo, Texas on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (U.S. Customs and Border Patrol)
The sting comes just days after agents uncovered yet another alleged human smuggling operation in the same town.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, two American citizens were arrested for allegedly smuggling four illegal aliens into their Laredo home on Dec. 8.
Two Guatemalan nationals, one Mexican national and a Honduran national were discovered inside the residence by authorities and subsequently taken into custody pending deportation, CPB said in a social media post.
Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence under the watch of the Texas National Guard to enter into El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)
Authorities arrested the two unnamed American citizens, who are now facing federal alien smuggling charges.
“Illegaly entry leads to deportation,” CPB said in a social media post. “Don’t risk it.”
According to data released by CPB, Laredo accounted for 4,400 land border encounters in the 2025 fiscal year, with the entire southwest region of Texas seeing 103,124 encounters within the same time frame.
The Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
