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Texas woman smuggling immigrants tries to flirt her way out of getting arrested after cop pulls her over

Lidia Elizabeth Badillo, 38, from Edinburg, Texas, was arrested and charged last week after being pulled over by a cop

HEBBRONVILLE, TEXAS: A woman was caught on police bodycam trying to flirt with a Texas trooper who pulled her over. It later emerged she was smuggling two El Salvadorian immigrants in the back of her car. 

Lidia Elizabeth Badillo, 38, from Edinburg, Texas, was arrested and charged last week after being pulled over by a cop. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, two female undocumented immigrants from El Salvador were traveling with Badillo, who was allegedly planning to transport them to Corpus Christi, Texas, with the assistance of another driver.

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'I'm looking at your eyes sir'

DPS Lt Christopher Olivarez posted a video on Twitter showing Badillo trying to flirt her way out of getting arrested, complimenting the officer's eyes and telling him he was handsome. While the officer was caught off-guard momentarily, he did not lose focus and proceeded to search the vehicle, in which he found the two young women, who were reportedly carrying fraudulent Texas driver's licenses in order to pass through a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas.

Badillo was asked if the driver's licenses were legitimate, to which she said she didn't know. She told the trooper that she and her two friends met four months ago at 'Club Fuego' and were on their way to go and get drinks at a nearby watering hole. However, when the officer said he was going to run their IDs through his verification system, Badillo tried to distract him. "I'm looking at your eyes sir," she said to the trooper, adding, "I'm looking at your eyes because you're pretty handsome."

Badillo eventually admitted she picked the two females up from a stash house in Mission Texas. She also divulged that once she crossed the checkpoint in Falfurrias, she planned to meet another driver who would drive the two women to Corpus Christi, Texas. As her plan unraveled, the trooper told her to turn around and placed her in handcuffs. She is now facing two charges of smuggling people, while the two undocumented immigrants have been referred to the US Border Patrol. The Texas DPS explained that this method of smuggling women across the border was common and many of them are later forced into debt bondage becoming victims of sex trafficking. 

Member of anti-deportation group

Badillo is reportedly a member of LUPE, an organization founded by labor rights activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta that aims to build stronger communities through civic engagement. According to the organization's website, some of its goals include fighting deportation and providing English classes. Having said that, the latest bust is part of Operation Lone Star, which was launched by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in March 2021 to tackle the record uptick in illegal immigration across the state. In May 2022, Abbott issued a disaster declaration that covers 48 counties -- most of which are located near the border -- directing DPS to "use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking."