Disturbing images from the border: Spadea’s brush with the cartels

One of the most disturbing things we witnessed as we traveled south on the Rio Grande involved two children.

We were traveling on the American side of the river when we heard calls coming from under a bridge on the Mexican side. The bridge was a point of entry between the two countries, but there were illegal landings underneath.

On a bridge support pier were two kids, I was thinking 13 or 14 years old, waving and calling to us to pick them up. The problem? Our team was armed and the Mexican authorities made it clear that bringing a firearm or ammunition into Mexico will land you in jail.

MORE FROM SPADEA: Many in New Jersey unaware of the true crisis at the border

The military enforces that rule.

The second problem, the cartels patrol and control much of the Mexican side of the river and they are known to use kids as distractions and lures. In other words, since they knew we were coming, spotters up and down the bank watching and filming us the entire journey, this could be a way to get us to let a group of illegals cross.

Or worse, this could have been an attempt to pull us to the Mexican side where we could have been seized by cartel forces. More than likely these teens were used by the cartel to guide a group of illegals across the river to the U.S. side.

The challenge is that the river is unpredictable and the current often picks up and makes it dangerous to cross. Many have drowned on the journey. It's possible these "guides" made it two-thirds of the way back but couldn't make the last leg.

To the cartels, human life has no meaning when it comes to their slave trade and profiteering. So, if these kids don't make it, they'll be replaced by others. Sad, criminal, dangerous, gut-wrenching.

The team decided to continue our mission and leave them on the pier.

Our Border Patrol agents, Texas National Guard, and Texas DPS are faced with this human crisis every day. Making decisions to break cover and risk confrontation as several DPS members did when cartel traffickers left an 18-month-old baby to die on a sand bar in the middle of the river.

This is a truly humanitarian crisis. Fueled by complicit politicians, corrupt institutions, and charities enabling the cartels to make billions to fuel their militarization and greed.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

Report a correction 👈