Deep in the Shadows: Undercover in the Ruthless World of Human Smuggling

Deep in the Shadows: Undercover in the Ruthless World of Human Smuggling

  • Author: Acosta, Hipólito
  • Publisher: Arte Público Press
  • ISBN: 9781558858442
  • eISBN Pdf: 9781518501319
  • eISBN Epub: 9781518501296
  • Place of publication:  Houston , United States
  • Year of publication: 2017
  • Pages: 276

“You have a lot of enemies, Hipólito. I heard rumors in jail that some of the people you busted are going to try to kill you, so you better watch yourself.” U.S. Special Agent Hipólito Acosta had put lots of thugs in jail, but the death threat from an imprisoned convict was still a shock.

Acosta recounts his often-dangerous exploits as a law enforcement agent over more than 30 years, which frequently included going undercover as a human smuggler or an undocumented immigrant. He targeted those who took advantage of immigrants, stuffing them into car trunks for hours-long drives from the border to the north; counterfeiters who, for the right price, provided false social security cards and other papers; and even corrupt agents who earned significant financial rewards on the backs of desperate migrants.

Though catching drug dealers wasn’t in his job description, when the opportunity to take them down presented itself, Acosta enthusiastically complied—even if he had to do it without the support of governmental agencies. And later in his career, diplomatic postings in the Philippines and Mexico expanded his experience with immigration issues.

This exciting memoir of a life spent in pursuit of human traffickers is an eye-opening look at smugglers and other criminals involved in the sale of counterfeit documents, narcotics and weapons.

  • Cover
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 1 Rendition in Nicaragua
  • Chapter 2 The Journey Begins
  • Chapter 3 Lovely Couples—Neighborhood Counterfeiters
  • Chapter 4 Castros’ Castoffs
  • Chapter 5 Driver’s Licenses for Sale
  • Chapter 6 An Amateur Dope Dealer Pays a Professional Price
  • Chapter 7 Operation Villasana Ciudad Juárez
  • Chapter 8 Not All Were Friends
  • Chapter 9 Human Smuggling Ring Broken
  • Chapter 10 River Rats and Three Smuggling Gangs
  • Chapter 11 Two Bad Apples—No Use for Crooked Agents
  • Chapter 12 Operation Black Rose—Columbian Gold
  • Chapter 13 New Challenges in a Diplomatic Assignment
  • Chapter 14 World War II Veterans—Deserving Americans
  • Chapter 15 Back on the Border—the Southern Side
  • Chapter 16 Killers on the Border
  • Chapter 17 Mexico City—A New Challenge
  • Chapter 18 Final Stop and a New Beginning—Houston
  • Appendix

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