Texas Governor Rick Perry ordered the Texas National Guard to search for the bodies of undocumented immigrants who have died while trying to cross into the United States, according to Reuters.
Troops have been deployed to Brooks County to search for the corpses of undocumented immigrants who died trying to walk through the desolate region known as the "Brush Country," in hopes of reaching San Antonio or Houston, Reuters reported.
Since 2011, 332 sets of human remains have been found in Brooks County alone and the bodies of hundreds or thousands more are believed to lie in the barren countryside, according to Reuters.
Brooks County is a rural area about 120 miles north of the Texas border with Mexico, according to Reuters.
Gangs smuggling undocumented immigrants into Texas frequently stop in Brooks County before they reach an immigration checkpoint in the community, according to border control agents, Reuters reported.
Officials did not say how many troops would be deployed, but said they will begin work immediately in groups of 20 to 25, scouring areas where authorities expect to find bodies, Reuters reported.
Areas where bodies are found will be treated as crime scenes and the Texas Rangers will be called when necessary, according to Reuters.
"For many years, law enforcement and landowners in this area have been overwhelmed by the tragic impacts of human smuggling across our county," Brooks County Sheriff Rey Rodriguez said, Reuters reported.
Agents reported that after reaching Brooks County, the smugglers kick the immigrants out of their trucks and tell them that Houston is 200 miles and a few hours by foot, according to Reuters.
The bodies of the undocumented immigrants are being found after dying in the conditions of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, Reuters reported.
