EAGLE PASS, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety on Sunday intercepted a group of 176 migrants crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico. The group entered the United States shortly before noon near the small Texas border town of Eagle Pass. Eleven immigrants in the group were identified as Special Interest Aliens (SIA) from Afghanistan, according to a DPS spokesperson.
This large immigrant group consisted of single adults, immigrant family groups, and unaccompanied immigrant children. Migrants from a number of countries were identified within this group, including those from El Salvador, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela. Eighty-five immigrants in the group were charged with trespassing under Texas law, according to Lt. Chris Olivares, a DPS spokesman.
Among those not charged with trespassing were family units and unaccompanied immigrant children. They were transferred to the Border Patrol for processing. The 85 migrants will also be transferred to the Border Patrol once the criminal cases of those charged under state law are concluded.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, Border Patrol discovered seven foreign nationals of special interest from Iran in a group of 289 people who passed through the same general area on Friday. Investigators arrested a group of 289 immigrants near Eagle Pass, Texas. This group included seven foreign nationals of special interest from Iran.
Sources within CBP who were not authorized to speak to the media said it used to be unusual for special interest foreign nationals to enter Eagle Pass. Officials say violence in Mexico's Sinaloa state is one reason immigrants from special interest countries choose to enter the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas. This trend is alarming, sources told Breitbart Texas.
According to 2019 DHS Fact SheetThe term “special interest alien” is defined as follows:
Generally, SIA refers to persons outside the United States who, based on an analysis of their travel patterns, may pose a national security risk to the United States or its national interests. In many cases, such individuals or groups have adopted travel patterns that are known or assessed to be potentially associated with terrorism. DHS' analysis includes examining travel patterns, origins, and/or travel segments related to the current assessment of the domestic and international threat environment.
This does not mean that all SIAs are “terrorists,” but rather that the travel and actions of such individuals indicate a possible association with heinous activities (including terrorism). At the very least, it provides an indicator that requires enhanced testing and further investigation. The term SIA does not refer to any specific derogatory information about an individual. Additionally, DHS has never indicated that the SIA designation has any further meaning.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers participating in Sunday's immigrant arrest are part of Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative launched in March 2021 by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The operation includes Highway Patrol troopers and members of the Texas Army National Guard deployed along the state. -Mexico border.
From the beginning of Operation Lone Star through September, the effort resulted in more than 518,300 immigrant arrests, more than 46,000 criminal arrests, and more than 40,000 felonies. More than 521 million lethal doses of fentanyl were administered during border missions.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him at X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
