A Border Patrol agent was involved in a shooting last week with a smuggler who was posing as part of the construction crews working on President Trump’s border wall in Arizona, The Washington Times has learned. Nobody was reported injured. Although one driver was caught, another smuggler who was part of the shootout managed to escape back into Mexico. Nearly 20 illegal immigrants were discovered in the two trucks they were driving. It was the latest incident of smuggling cartels using the tumult of wall construction to try to sneak people or drugs into the U.S. President Trump has ordered the border to be shut down to noncommercial traffic in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. While overall illegal border crossings are down, they have not halted entirely, according to a Times review of smuggling cases that shows cartels are still trying to move medium-sized groups. The shootout Wednesday capped off an incident that began when agents noticed two older-model Ford F-250 pickup trucks with logos reading “SWC Southwest Valley Constructors,” which raised suspicion after a string of incidents over the past month, according to court documents that detailed the arrest. SWC is the name of the firm contracted to build fencing in the Tucson sector, but the company told agents their fleet used only newer-model F-250s. Agents followed the two trucks, which then split up. One led agents on a slow-speed chase through Douglas. The driver obeyed all traffic laws and stopped only after an agent used his vehicle to block the road. Fifteen illegal immigrants were inside that truck, according to court documents. The other Ford truck led agents on a high-speed chase east along the border. At one point, it smashed into an agent’s vehicle, backed up and took off again. After the truck eventually stopped, shots were fired, according to the court filings. The driver ran into Mexico and left his cargo of four illegal immigrants inside the truck...MORE
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