The number of illegal aliens being smuggled into Texas aboard private planes is on the rise, authorities say.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) has intercepted an increasing number of smuggling attempts at smaller airports during the Biden era.
State officials discussed the issue at a meeting in June.
“What we’ve seen in the last year or two is kind of a throwback to the 80s, where aircraft were utilized to do these kinds of things,” TxDPS Chief of Aircraft Operations Stacy Holland told the Public Safety Commission. “This is resurging.”
“You’ll notice that they’re fairly large groups, some of the airplanes are of substantial size.”
During one such bust, authorities obtained a flight manifesto indicating each passenger had paid as much as $25,000 to be smuggled into the U.S., News 4 reports.
While some wealthier illegals choose to fly into the U.S. to make the journey faster and more comfortable, many others do so to avoid detection due to criminal records or other factors that could lead to their expedited removal.
In many cases, neither the airport staff nor flight crews are aware the plane passengers are illegal migrants, TxDPS says.
InfoWars reported on a plane-smuggling attempt that ended badly in late 2021.
A 4-seater aircraft carrying six people, including five illegal aliens, crashed in the border town of Presidio, Texas.
Several passengers were seriously injured, including the pilot, who somehow managed to flee the scene before authorities arrived.