Jason Wolf of the Arizona Republic has shared shocking findings of an 18-month investigation into human smuggling by football players at Arizona Christian University and other collegiate athletes.
In 2023, a former ACU quarterback contacted Wolf, claiming his teammates had participated in human smuggling.
College Football Players Accused of Smuggling Illegal Aliens in Arizona
Arizona Republic reporter Jason Wolf has shared shocking findings of an 18-month investigation into human smuggling by football players at Arizona Christian University and other collegiate athletes.
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— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) September 20, 2024
During one documented incident in 2022, two ACU players were caught by Arizona DPS troopers with an “injured migrant woman in the backseat” of a car they had borrowed from a teammate.
Border Patrol arrested the student-athletes, but released them hours later without criminal charges.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics told the Arizona Republic they will not investigate these allegations.
“I was able to find multiple incidents of alleged human smuggling by football players on the same team. Now, this is bigger than an ACU issue, right? This is an issue affecting high school and college-age kids throughout Arizona who are being recruited on social media by these transnational smuggling organizations,” Wolf said.
John R. Modlin, chief patrol agent for Tucson Sector, has said high school and college-age suspects account for 20% of human smuggling stops in Arizona.
This article was written by Border Hawk field reporter Wid Lyman
