Mexican drug cartels appear to be adopting the tactic of attaching colored wristbands to migrants illegally entering the United States through Texas, signaling a more coordinated effort to control those crossing the border. authorities announced Tuesday.
A blue wristband with a name on it was found abandoned on the ground among piles of trash and clothing in the Texas border city of Eagle Pass. The wristbands are similar to bracelets placed on immigrants illegally entering Texas through the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivares told Fox News Digital.
“We've seen things like that all the time in those areas. We've never seen it in Eagle Pass,” he said. “It shows it's more controlled and more coordinated by cartels.”
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Authorities say the cartels gave migrants blue bracelets as proof of payment to illegally smuggle them from Mexico to Texas. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Olivarez said cartels often use bracelets as proof of payment to smugglers.
“If they have a blue one, they can only cross in this area. If they have a red one, they can only cross in that area,” he said. said.
Much of the Mexican border region between the Rio Grande Valley and Eagle Pass is controlled by the Cartel del Norest (CDN), a successor cartel to Los Zetas known for its brutal and violent methods.
Cartels have always required immigrants to enter the United States through their own territory. Olivares said those who choose to cross on their own to avoid high smuggling fees do so at their own peril.
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A Texas DPS officer holds a blue bracelet with writing on it that was found on the ground near Eagle Pass, Texas. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Although encounters with migrants in Texas have decreased, authorities are still seeing an average of 2,000 illegal immigrants a day at the southwest border, including 300 a day in Eagle Pass, Olivares said. It is said to be included.
He noted that the number of special interest immigrants from various countries is increasing, and the number of unaccompanied children is also increasing. Some immigrants come from as far away as Iran, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Africa.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), special interest immigrants are immigrants who may pose a national security risk to the United States or its interests based on their travel patterns.
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DHS says this designation does not mean the immigrants are “terrorists,” but that their travel and actions are linked to nefarious activities, including terrorism, and require further review and investigation. states on the website.
