Texas Troopers Uncover Shocking Smuggling Plot Involving 5-Year-Old Girl at Border

In Del Rio, Texas, a dramatic border arrest unfolded on Friday when Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers stopped a man suspected of smuggling a 5-year-old girl into the United States from Mexico. This arrest, near the Rio Grande, shone a spotlight on the ongoing struggles with human smuggling at the border.

It all started when border surveillance cameras captured a man carrying a little girl across the Rio Grande River. Not long after, a Dodge pickup truck caught the attention of DPS troopers in the area. Acting on the surveillance tip, troopers followed the truck and eventually pulled it over for a traffic stop.

Inside the truck, troopers discovered the young girl, who was later confirmed to be from Mexico. Her distinctive bow matched the one seen in the surveillance footage, making it clear she was the same child who had just been smuggled across the river. Speaking to her in Spanish, troopers pieced together her story.

Shockingly, the girl wasn’t alone in the truck—her mother, Dolores Lopez, was also there. Lopez, originally from Mexico and now a temporary resident of North Carolina, admitted to hiring a smuggling group to bring her daughter into the U.S. She revealed that she had found the smugglers online and agreed to pay $8,000 for the dangerous journey.

The man behind the smuggling operation, identified as Roman Ibarra Rojo from Mexico, was arrested on the spot. He confessed to taking on the job for a payment of $1,000. This wasn’t his first encounter with law enforcement—Rojo had been arrested for smuggling in 2022 as well.

Lopez and her daughter were handed over to U.S. Border Patrol. While the little girl’s safety is now a priority, her mother could face charges of endangering her child. The decision to prosecute will ultimately be made by the district attorney.

Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for Texas DPS, highlighted how quickly smugglers exploit vulnerable situations like this one. He called the case another tragic reminder of the dangers surrounding illegal crossings and the people profiting from them.

This story underscores the risks people take and the dark realities of smuggling operations at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a stark example of how lives, especially those of innocent children, can hang in the balance in these desperate situations.