Three soldiers accused of smuggling immigrants into the United States were arrested Thursday at the Fort Hood Army post in central Texas.
The three were identified by U.S. immigration officials as Eric Rodriguez, 20, Brandon Robbins, 20, and Christopher Wix, 21. Lawyers for the men were not immediately available for comment, Reuters reported.
An indictment unsealed today in Brownsville on Thursday said Rodriguez was arrested on Sept. 11 at a Border Patrol checkpoint in the south Texas town of Sarita. He was dressed in his Army uniform and had two immigrants hidden under his military jacket and a bed sheet in the back of his pickup.
Robbins was charged with smuggling two immigrants into Texas in April, and Wix was charged with illegally transporting two immigrants into Texas in June, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Adelina Pruneda.
Both incidents were similar to the Rodriguez case, she said.
The three soldiers are charged with conspiracy to transport and harbor aliens and transporting aliens.
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