Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) officials discovered Friday 23 illegal migrants allegedly concealed inside a flatbed trailer, video footage shows.
During an Operation Lone Star traffic stop in La Salle county around 9 a.m., the driver of a “white-truck tractor towing a flatbed trailer” allegedly failed to stop at a commercial vehicle safety inspection for officials on IH35, spokesperson for the southern region TDPS Chris Olivarez stated in a post. (RELATED: 54 Convicted Sex Offenders Arrested After Illegally Crossing Into US In Last 6 Months, Officials Confirm)
Following a short pursuit, the driver “stopped one mile north of the La Salle County Rest Area” and could be seen in bodycam footage fleeing on foot from the vehicle. Footage posted to Twitter shows officers inspecting the trailer after two immigrants can be seen telling officials there were more people in the car asking for help.
The footage then shows a TDPS agent using a crowbar to pull up wood planks that had been placed on the trailer, revealing multiple immigrants wedged inside of the flatbed.
#NEW: @TxDPS recovered 23 illegal
immigrants concealed inside a flatbed trailer during an #OperationLoneStar traffic stop in La Salle County.On April 12, 2024, just after 9:00 A.M., the driver of a white-truck tractor towing a flatbed trailer
on IH35 failed to stop for a DPS… pic.twitter.com/xMEnGph4Qq— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) April 12, 2024
In the group of 23 illegal immigrants, Olivarez stated there were 15 males, six females and two juveniles who were reportedly from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. After being caught, one illegal immigrant was treated for dehydration and transported to a local hospital, the TDPS spokesman confirmed.
Officials stated that the investigation is ongoing, with an outstanding warrant placed on the truck driver.
As the border crisis has affected many states across the U.S., Texas has dealt with an onslaught of illegal immigration encounters. At the end of March, a video capturing the moment a group of illegal immigrants overwhelmed National Guard members near El Paso, Texas went viral online.
While some were taken into custody after the incident, Texas Magistrate Judge Humberto Acosta ordered the release of the migrants shortly after, claiming that the El Paso District Attorney’s Office was not ready to proceed with detention hearings.