CBS reporter David Begnaud and his crew were recently threatened along the U.S. border with Mexico after catching smugglers on camera.

An story from Roma, Texas, along the Rio Grande turned dangerous when a smuggler and his scout were caught on camera shuttling illegal immigrants into the country. Mr. Begnaud says he was approached by one of the men and told to leave if he valued his safety.

“He ends up saying to my producer and I, ‘It’s not safe here and you need to go,’ the reporter said for a July 11 report. “We ended up leaving the area. Within ten minutes [of crossing a bridge] we were back on the U.S. side. The man who was paddling actually walked across. That’s how shallow it is there in the river. He was able to walk back onto the other side. He gave us the middle finger and faded off into the treeline.”

Mr. Begnaud spoke with local residents who said modern technology and manpower is needed to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

“A source within the agency tells us the smugglers — they know exactly what time to do this type of activity here on the river,” the reporter continued. “And the guy who threatened us? (and I’ll tell you we were scared), it was ominous to listen to him. He was clearly letting us know it was time to get out. He had a walkie-talkie in his hand, and he was communicating with the guy who was in the raft. … This is an example of why the Trump administration has been pushing for a border wall.”

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol released the following statement in conjunction with the network’s story: “Roma, Texas, is one of the most volatile areas of the southwest border. Smuggling events occur daily, at all hours, as criminal organizations seek to exploit any shortages or gaps in border infrastructure, technology and personnel.”

The conservative blog Hotair noted on Monday that Mr. Begnaud was also the reporter who exposed the truth behind a recent Time magazine cover with a crying girl.

Time’s presentation gave the impression that the girl was separated from her mother after illegally entering the U.S.

That was not the case.

“[Mr. Begnaud is] obviously willing to show us the truth about this issue when a lot of other reporters would rather run with their preferred narrative,” Hotair’s John Sexton wrote.

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