A high-speed police chase near McAllen resulted in a rollover accident last Saturday, and it was discovered that the pickup truck was carrying 12 unlawful migrants.
The accident occurred on Bentsen Palm Drive in Hidalgo County. The driver of the truck was identified as Eduardo Herrera, 20, originally from Mexico, per NBC 5.
Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, posted a video of the incident on his Twitter account, saying, “The driver lost control on a dirt road & rolled over.”
#RGV: A smuggler from Mexico led @TxDPS on a high-speed chase in Hidalgo County. The driver lost control on a dirt road & rolled over. Multiple illegal immigrants fled on foot. Troopers arrested the driver & apprehended 5 illegal immigrants from Mexico. The driver faces charges… pic.twitter.com/Qw8vQKsRVx
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) April 24, 2023
In the video, officers can be seen pursuing the pickup truck along multiple roads before it rolls over. Two officers then approach the wreck as several unlawful migrants get out of the truck. As some are getting arrested, others can be seen running away from the crash site.
In total, police apprehended Herrera and five of the migrants who were in the vehicle. But they believe that another seven migrants fled toward McAllen after evading arrest.
It is currently unknown whether any of the other migrants have been apprehended.
Herrera was charged with evading arrest and human smuggling due to the incident, according to the video posted by Lt. Olivarez.
The U.S.-Mexico border has been very active in the last few weeks.
Earlier this month, over 100 unlawful migrants were detained after raids were conducted in El Paso, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Agents were tipped off and found migrants living in cramped conditions inside two stash houses.
Another incident in El Paso occurred in late March after two brothers were arrested for driving an SUV carrying seven unlawful migrants, per The Dallas Express. A state trooper sustained minor injuries when the suspects attempted to flee. The chase ended with the authorities shooting out the SUV’s tires.
Despite concerns about the safety of the border, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has recently said that there is not a crisis at the border. He instead referred to it as a “significant challenge,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.