Illegal crossing arrests continue throughout Big Bend region

TEXAS (KMID/KPEJ)- As discussions heat up about border policies and illegal immigration as part of the Republican National Convention, law enforcement agents closer to home have continued to see an influx of people entering and traveling through the country illegally.

On July 17, a Brewster County Sheriff’s Office Deputy conducted a traffic stop in Study Butte. Investigators said the driver, whose name has not been released, was allegedly caught driving the vehicle without a license, and the passenger, who has also not been publicly identified, was found to have an active warrant from Midland County.

Deputies said that further investigation revealed that both suspects were in the country illegally. The driver was referred to US Border Patrol Agents for processing while the passenger was taken to the Brewster County Jail for extradition to Midland County.

Terrell County has also been combating illegal crossings as of late. Earlier this week, Sanderson Station Border agents, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas military forces, and the Terrell County Operation Loan Star deputy, arrested a group of six people who had entered the country illegally. Investigators said the group, from the Mexican state of Guerrero, were crossing Texas on their way to Santa Maria, California.

Overnight, Terrell County Sheriff’s deputies, along with DPS, Border Patrol, and military personnel arrested another five people who had allegedly entered the country illegally. All five were reportedly from Mexico.

In response to the Biden administration’s immigration policies, in 2021, Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, and deployed the Texas National Guard and DPS troopers to the southern border. Operation Lone Star personnel work around-the-clock to detect and repel illegal crossings, arrest human smugglers and cartel gang members, and stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the country.

This week, the GOP has rallied around the ex-president’s tough-on-immigration policies, which have been a central part of Trump’s political brand as well as his 2024 election campaign; Republican leaders have also accused the Democratic president of not doing enough to stem the flow of asylum seekers crossing the country’s southern border with Mexico, and the GOP’s platform has promised to seal the border and “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history”.

Tonight, we will hear more from law enforcement officials in our area to learn more about the issues they are dealing with on the front lines and their hopes for the upcoming election.

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