Smuggler Leads Texas Police on Car Chase with Migrant Child in Trunk

A human smuggler tried to escape Texas authorities on New Year’s Eve by leading them on a car chase at speeds exceeding 115 miles per hour. After deploying a tire deflation device, officers found two Honduran migrants stowed in the smuggler’s trunk.

The pursuit initially began when a constable noticed a vehicle traveling 45 miles north of Eagle Pass. When a Zavala County constable attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle failed to yield. The vehicle fled for more than 30 miles before Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers could successfully deploy a tire deflation device.

The driver, who remains unidentified, was charged with evading arrest and smuggling of persons, a 2^nd degree felony in Texas. According to the Zavala County Sheriff’s Department, the holiday season did not slow smuggling activity on local highways. Five migrant smuggling cases were interdicted on local highways near La Pryor, Texas, during the period.

Three of the cases involved smugglers who failed to yield to police attempts to stop their vehicles. The drivers in each of those were detained and charged with smuggling of persons.

The first case of human smuggling for the Zavala County Sheriff’s deputies occurred before noon on New Year’s Day when authorities were again led on a high-speed pursuit that ended when the vehicle abruptly stopped and multiple suspected migrants fled.

Two migrants and two human smugglers were apprehended at the scene. Several other people managed to elude capture. The vehicle pursuits have proven deadly in recent months as border crossings surge in the area. Earlier in December, four migrants and a human smuggler died  in nearby Kinney County.

Zavala County, which is part of the Del Rio Sector of the Border Patrol, routinely encounters human smugglers on local highways. In November, nearly 48,000 migrants were apprehended in the sector.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.