La Joya Police Officer Marisela Sandoval is required to check in with dispatch anytime she nears a known point for human trafficking.
On Monday, officers came across three men and a woman, inside an abandoned business in the rural Hidalgo County community.
They crossed illegally and led La Joya Police on a chase through the neighborhood, though they were eventually caught.
"You could see them and they were like sweating,” Officer Sandoval said. “They were probably thirsty but they didn't stop until they found what they were looking for."
They are just four in an endless list of undocumented immigrants braving rising temperatures in daytime to cross the border.
"This year so far we have rescued 170 people from different reasons whether they're water related or heat related," Border Patrol Spokesperson Rosie Huey said.
She added that agents recovered the bodies of an additional 60 people, who either lost their lives crossing the Rio Grande, or wandering the South Texas brush land.
In La Joya, undocumented immigrants often lead police on chases through hot and humid conditions.
Officers are encouraged to carry plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.
"Me personally I think lots of water,” Officer Sandoval said. “I carry my bottle of water. I make sure i drink some."
It is game of cat and mouse that law enforcement worries can end with deadly consequences...
La Joya Police Chief Julian Gutierrez said most of the time, the people they detain are in such bad shape, they use money out of their own pocket to feed and hydrate them, before handing them over to Border Patrol.
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