On Tuesday night, the driver of a Nissan sport-utility vehicle lost control and crashed, killing two people, believed to be a U.S. citizen and an immigrant. The unidentified driver of the vehicle was fleeing from sheriff’s office personnel from Dimmit County, Texas.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle on Texas Highway 85 near Carrizo Springs, Texas. A law enforcement source close to the investigation said the driver lost control of the car, rolled over several times, and several of the six passengers were thrown out.
Officers found three people dead at the scene. Two of the dead were believed to be immigrants and one was a U.S. citizen, who authorities suspect may have been involved in smuggling. Several other passengers suffered serious injuries in the crash and were taken by life flight to a hospital in San Antonio for further treatment.
The driver was arrested and is currently facing multiple felony charges in connection with the incident, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak to the media. The incident remains under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The incident occurred about 80 miles from the Texas border city of Eagle Pass, along a corridor notorious for migrant smugglers.
Smugglers continue to gamble on the isolated two-lane highway, hoping to drive as quickly as possible from the border to evade Border Patrol and law enforcement officials, officials said. “There is no bright side to this incident, but at least no innocent civilians were killed in this accident,” a law enforcement official explained. “It doesn’t bring back the people who died in this vehicle, but it could have been much worse.”
In neighboring Zavala County, a similar accident occurred in November 2023, killing eight people. A suspected smuggler and five immigrants were killed when a car they were using to flee from law enforcement officers collided with a car carrying two innocent drivers from Georgia. Two Georgia drivers also lost their lives in the incident.
The Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector border area, which includes Dimmit and Zavala counties, saw a more than 50% drop in migrant arrivals in April 2024 compared to April 2023, despite Mexican cartel smugglers remains active. The border reduction is part of a joint agreement between Mexico and the United States. It is primarily focused on reducing the flow of migrants seeking long-term asylum claims and quickly surrendering to Border Patrol in hopes of being released into the United States.
The sources said cartels are smuggling migrants on border highways knowing they are at risk of immediate deportation and will not be released into the United States.
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 and directed operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
