ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Due to the ongoing crisis at the border, an influx of immigrants are being trafficked on I-20, and because of the prime location, Tye is dealing with this issue more often than most.

Tye Police Chief Jay Strong says his department has already apprehended 150 to 200 undocumented immigrants. It’s only August and this is the number they typically see in a year.

More alarming than the immigrants they catch are the ones who get stuck in the community, often getting left at a truck stop with no resources, jobs, or idea of what to do.

“If they [the smugglers] stop at our truck stop and they dump out their ‘cargo’ or tell them to stretch their legs, they will turn around and leave to go pick up another set of people,” Chief Strong explains.

Tye is home to the largest truck stop in the 5-county area, so they are dealing with this issue more often than other departments.

Watch the full interview above to get an in-depth explanation of how Tye PD is combating the growing immigration issue on I-20.