WICHITA COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — Wichita County has seen a huge increase in the number of arrests made for human smuggling so far in the month of July.

In just one week, there have been four arrests for human smuggling and 20 unauthorized immigrants detained in Wichita County.

Of the four suspects charged with Smuggling of Persons, one was transporting five passengers, one was transporting seven, and the other two had four each.

In all of those cases, none of the drivers could give the names of their passengers, and all four were stopped on U.S. 287.

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety and deputies with the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office made the arrests.

Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said there’s a reason for the increase.

“When we find vehicles loaded up with 15 to 18 illegals from other countries, we would stop them on a traffic stop and the Border Patrol will be contacted,” Duke said. “They’d come from Fort Worth in a couple of hours and take all of them.”

Duke said that’s not happening anymore.

“Since the Biden Administration started, they’ve cut off Border Patrol people from doing all of these things out of Fort Worth,” Duke said.

Duke said after these traffic stops, the drivers have all been arrested and charged as well as held on detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Duke said unauthorized immigrant passengers are free to leave the county.