A man claimed that he wanted to help out a migrant "family" by giving them a ride to San Antonio, according to an arrest affidavit.

Colin Martin Grace was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport migrants.

At about 12:40 p.m. Oct. 5, an agent observed a black Nissan Sentra traveling north on the west access road of Interstate 35. A vehicle check revealed that the Nissan was registered out of San Antonio.

Court documents state that smugglers are known to circumvent the I-35 checkpoint at about this time to take advantage of the heavier traffic and the agent's shift change to blend in with routine traffic from ranchers and oilfield workers.

The agent pulled over the Nissan near mile marker 31 of the I-35 west access road. The driver was identified as Grace. He was traveling along with four occupants. Grace mentioned that he was on his way to San Antonio. Meanwhile, the four passengers appeared to be nervous, authorities said.

With the assistance of other agents, authorities determined that the passengers were migrants. In a post-arrest interview, Grace stated that he traveled from San Antonio to Laredo on Oct. 4 to visit his girlfriend and her family, states the affidavit.

Grace added that he was at a tire shop when a "family" asked him for a ride. He asked them if they were in the country illegally, and one of them said "yes." Grace stated he agreed to get paid $60 for gas. Grace said that the "family" was giving him directions until the agent pulled him over, the affidavit states.

"Grace stated he just wanted to help the family out and that there was no coordination or planning beforehand," states the affidavit.