A Texas woman found with five illegal immigrants in her vehicle attempted to flee from authorities near the border by swimming across the Rio Grande into Mexico with an infant, officials said.
Brenda Castro, a U.S. citizen, was a passenger in a Ford Explorer being driven by her husband, also an American citizen, on Dec. 19 in the border city of Laredo when he refused to stop for Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, the agency said.
Dashcam footage released by DPS shows the SUV traveling at a high speed along residential and rural roads.
Authorities said a high-speed chase ensued when Castro bailed out of the vehicle with an infant and tried to swim across the river, which borders Mexico.
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Castro’s husband swam across and made it to Mexico, a DPS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
State and local law authorities at the scene directed Castro to come back to the U.S. side of the border, and she was arrested.
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While in the river, authorities were heard telling Castro in Spanish to get back to dry land with the child. A law enforcement officer was then seen taking the child out of the water.
“I can’t believe you tried to run back with the baby. You both could have drowned,” a law enforcement officer told Castro while escorting her into a vehicle upon her arrest.
The child was placed under the care of authorities.
Authorities said they found five illegal immigrants in Castro’s vehicle and turned them over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Castro is charged with human smuggling and endangering a child.
