Texas DPS Arrests Illegal Immigrants in Human Smuggling Cases
Officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) apprehended a Nicaraguan illegal immigrant who was allegedly hiding in a car being driven to San Antonio. Among the occupants of the vehicle was a Chinese national who had seemingly crossed the border dressed in camouflage.
On January 30, DPS spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivares shared a clip of a traffic stop involving a gray Toyota Camry on Route 277 in Maverick County, Texas. The driver, identified as Juan Alfonso Merlo Ibarra, 34, was confirmed to be in the U.S. illegally and was charged with four counts of human smuggling, a felony at the state level. He was taken to the Maverick County Jail to await his court date.
In the vehicle, all four passengers were found to be illegal immigrants, and they were all wearing camouflage outfits, as noted in the video footage. One individual among them was BeiBei Liu, a 34-year-old Special Interest Alien from China. It appears that he, along with others, managed to sneak into the U.S. before being picked up by smugglers for transportation to the interior.
The remaining three individuals were identified as Mexican nationals. They, along with Liu, were turned over to agents from the Del Rio District Border Patrol for processing and removal.
The following day, police arrested a man after a traffic stop in Maverick County led to the discovery that he was allegedly smuggling three illegal immigrants. The driver, Chris Romer Hall, is a 71-year-old registered sex offender from Killeen, Texas. He was charged with three counts of human smuggling and taken to the Maverick County Jail as well.
Records reveal that Hall was convicted in a California court in 2007 for engaging in sexual acts with a minor under 14 years old. He registered in Killeen in November and changed his information again the next month.
The law enforcement officials involved in these arrests are part of Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star initiative. These operations highlight the important role the Texas DPS plays in capturing illegal aliens before they venture further into the country.
