Video Shows Police Chase Drunk Texas Man Smuggling Migrants

An intoxicated man transporting illegal migrants from Mexico was arrested by officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday following a high-speed chase.

Detaining undocumented migrants has been a priority for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who in March 2021 launched Operation Lone Star in response to escalating numbers entering the state.

The operation, which now encompasses 48 statewide counties and mostly those along or near the United States-Mexico border, declares that the Texas DPS should "use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking, and to assist Texas counties in their efforts to address those criminal activities."

Daniel Alberto Berrones, of Sullivan City, was arrested by Texas police for allegedly evading, human smuggling, and driving while impaired, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by Texas DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.

The suspect transported six illegal migrants from Mexico. Authorities say that he has a criminal history of driving while impaired, drug possession, resisting arrest and human smuggling.

Newsweek reached out to the Texas DPS via email for comment.

Video of the chase that took place on Tuesday, posted by Olivarez on X, showed police in pursuit of a gray-colored Ford F-150 on El Faro Road in Hidalgo County. The driver, Berrones, drew attention after making an "erratic" U-turn and then evading police while driving towards the Rio Grande.

At least three police vehicles can initially be seen following the U-turn attempt, putting their sirens on and speeding to catch up with Berrones who was driving across lanes on the two-lane road.

The driver then leads vehicles in pursuit through residential areas and on dirt roads. Bodycam footage shows a trooper hiding in the brush, waiting for his fellow officer to subdue the vehicle.

A Texas State trooper ultimately utilized a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to halt the pursuit, resulting in Berrones leaving his vehicle and attempting to get away through some brush. Police caught up with him quickly and apprehended him.

"There's still bodies in the car," Berrones can be heard telling police.

The six migrants were referred to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Texas, notably the border city of Eagle Pass, has become an epicenter of illegal immigration in the United States and has stirred up contention between statewide officials and the federal government in response to record-high illegal immigration.

Crossings on the southwest land border in Texas totaled 68,260 in January, according to the U.S. Customs and Border statistics—a drop from the 149,806 migrants who attempted to enter the country through the state in December. Abbott has credited a National Guard presence, concertina wire and floating barriers in the Rio Grande for recently deterring migrants.