Texas Operation Lone Star officers, comprising of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, special investigators, Texas Rangers, and other law enforcement personnel, are actively capturing suspected human smugglers and gang members, including those who have previously fled and unlawfully re-entered Texas.
Juan Miguel Regalado, a member of the Tango Blast gang, was apprehended by the Texas Rangers following his evasion of arrest in April. Regalado was being charged for alleged human smuggling and had fled to Mexico.
In late April, Texas DPS troopers were involved in a high-speed chase led by Regalado in Webb County. The pursuit took a dangerous turn when Regalado slowed down at a busy intersection to allow foreign nationals to jump out of his vehicle, putting them at risk of getting hit by oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, one of the individuals who jumped out suffered head injuries upon hitting the pavement. The rest of the individuals ran through oncoming traffic to evade law enforcement.
Several troopers chased after Regalado as he drove south on I-35 towards the Rio Grande River. In an attempt to evade them, he drove down an embankment and abandoned the vehicle before swimming across to Mexico.
The Texas Rangers arrested him after he reentered Texas.
In Webb County, DPS troopers and Criminal Investigations Division special agents halted the drivers of a Peterbilt truck tractor semi-trailer and Dodge Ram pickup truck on I-35, who were driving together. The Peterbilt truck driver stepped out of the vehicle to answer questions.
Asking about his destination, the driver responded that he was on his way to collect vacuum loads. However, the trooper noticed that the driver’s hands were shaking and inquired whether he was concealing anything inside the truck. Despite denying any wrongdoing, the trooper directly asked whether there was anything illegal in the vehicle. The driver maintained his innocence, allowing the trooper to conduct a thorough search of the truck.
As the troopers made their way towards the cab, they discovered a group of 19 Mexicans who were hiding behind it in an enclosed area that had been zipped shut. Concerned for their well-being, one of the troopers noticed that one of the individuals was showing signs of heat exhaustion and promptly instructed him to get some fresh air, stating that it was quite hot in their current location. The individual was given the necessary medical attention to ensure his health and safety.
Two white men, Jackson Earl West of Tomball, Texas, and Dennis Allen Davis of Jarrell, Texas, were apprehended and charged with the illegal transportation of individuals. The 19 undocumented foreign nationals were then transferred to Border Patrol custody.
In Kinney County, Texas, DPS troopers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers apprehended two female human smugglers. Upon approaching their vehicle, they discovered four illegal foreign nationals crammed in the back seat of the truck. The driver, Karina Isamar Martinez from Houston, was also questioned after stepping out of the vehicle.
According to a reporte by The Center Square, the driver informed the troopers that she had given a ride to “hitchhikers”. This response is frequently provided by Americans traveling from Houston, which is more than five hours away from the border.
As she spoke to the trooper, she recounted that the individuals she picked up were Hispanic and were hitchhiking. The trooper inquired whether she had received a text message asking her to pick them up, to which she replied in the negative. When asked about where she had picked them up, she stated that it was on the side of the road. She further confirmed that she was not familiar with any of them, and that some were hiding under a cover in the truck bed, lying flat.
According to Lt. Chris Olivarez, the spokesperson for DPS, human smuggling is a coordinated effort despite the claims made by those who have been arrested. He mentioned that people are communicating through social media platforms and encrypted messaging, providing GPS coordinates to pick up individuals who are crossing the border illegally. Although they know what they are doing, when law enforcement stops them, they try to distance themselves from the criminal activity.
According to several law enforcement officers, it is highly unlikely for anyone from major trafficking hubs such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, or other cities located several hours away, to drive all the way to the border to pick up “hitchhikers”.
Martinez, along with her passenger Azucena Raquel Roman from Hockley, Texas, were taken into custody for the act of smuggling individuals. The Border Patrol was alerted and the seven undocumented foreign nationals who were concealed in the vehicle were handed over to them.
According to the latest data, since March 2021, OLS has led to the apprehension of over 513,100 illegal foreign nationals and over 43,700 criminal arrests by participating officers. The program has reported more than 38,400 felony charges. Governor Greg Abbott launched OLS, and it has since proven to be effective in curbing illegal immigration and criminal activity.
According to data from DPS, over 7,300 individuals who were suspected of smuggling have been apprehended, with ages ranging from 13 to 77 years old.
One of the recently implemented border security laws mandates a 10-year minimum prison sentence for human smuggling and imposes more severe penalties for such offenses.