Officials: Migrant smugglers lure troops, others with cash

SAN DIEGO — On the surface, it seemed like a simple task: drive to a spot a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, pick up people and drop them off at a McDonald’s or other spot past the city of San Diego, and make anywhere from $500 to $1,000. No need to cross into Mexico.

Two Marines whose arrests earlier this month for migrant smuggling led to the arrests of 16 of their fellow Marines at Camp Pendleton described in federal court documents such an offer being made to them.

U.S. Border Patrol officials say smuggling rings have been luring U.S. troops, police officers, Border Patrol agents and others to work for them as drivers — a crucial component of moving migrants farther into the United States once smugglers get them over the border from Mexico.

Border Patrol agents over the years have routinely caught migrants walking onto Camp Pendleton or floating in skiffs off the coast nearby. The camp, dissected by Interstate 5 leading to Los Angeles, sits along a welltraversed route used by smugglers.

Transporting migrants with American drivers can be more effective in avoiding detection. Customs and Border Protection has broad authority to question and search within 100 miles of the border. If the driver is in the armed forces, with a military haircut and credentials, that’s a bonus for smugglers because they believe they are more likely to get waved through a checkpoint.

“This is the kind of official corruption that smuggling networks of all kinds, whether it involves people or drugs, really look for,” said David Shirk, an associate political science professor at University of San Diego.

So-called recruiters for smugglers have chatted up people at casinos and bars, passing out their cell numbers and saying if they ever want to make money as a driver to give them a call, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco said. They’ve also placed ads online.

“They’ve advertised on Craigslist before to get people looking for work by saying drivers needed or people with cars and licenses,” Francisco said.

All 18 people arrested in the current case are junior enlisted Marines whose monthly salary is $2,000 to $3,000 a month. None was part of the Trump administration’s efforts that sent troops last year to help reinforce border security.