Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for DPS’s South Texas Region, detailed two traffic stops that led to the detainment of 40 illegal aliens and two arrests in 10 days.
According to Olivarez, both incidents took place during traffic stops near Laredo. After thorough searches, both vehicles revealed twenty illegal aliens crammed into the sleeping cabin of the trucks.
Additionally, the initial stop on May 18 revealed an uncommon method smugglers are using to avoid detection. The unredacted video appeared to show a vehicle belonging to a reputable trucking company. However, investigators determined that the truck is not actually affiliated with that company, adding to the growing list of cases of “cloned” vehicles.
Authorities arrested and charged the two drivers, Antonio Brown and Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, with counts of smuggling of persons. Chavez remains in the Webb County Jail.
The Trump administration has delivered on a full year of zero releases. All incidents resulting in the capture of illegal aliens have led to their detainment or deportation, marking the end of the Biden-era policy of catch and release.
In April 2024 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection saw nearly 180,000 encounters with illegal border crossers across the southwest land border. Officials released 68,000 of those individuals while awaiting their deportation or asylum trials.
Comparatively in April 2026 there were only 12,836 encounters across the southwest, with zero releases.
The overall number of encounters in 2025 fell to 443,671 from 2.13 million in 2024, marking a 79 percent reduction in illegal crossings.
