A traffic stop in South Texas turned into a chaotic chase after authorities say a suspected human smuggler tried to run from a semitruck near the southern border.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials said the incident happened Monday evening in Webb County after a state trooper stopped a Volvo semitruck.
Video shared by DPS showed the driver jumping out of the truck and running as troopers chased him down.
Authorities said the driver was quickly arrested.
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When troopers searched the truck, they found 20 illegal immigrants concealed inside the vehicle’s sleeping area.
The video showed officers pulling back a curtain inside the cab and discovering the group crammed into the tight space.
Officials said four minors from Mexico and Guatemala were among those found.
DPS identified the driver as Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a 25-year-old Mexican national.
He was charged with evading arrest and smuggling persons and booked into the Webb County Jail.
The 20 illegal immigrants were referred to U.S. Border Patrol.
The DPS Criminal Investigations Division is continuing to investigate the case.
The incident comes as Texas authorities continue targeting human smuggling operations along the southern border, even as illegal crossing numbers have dropped under President Donald Trump.
Officials also reported another recent smuggling case in nearby Maverick County, where troopers arrested a Cuban national after a high-speed chase ended with a PIT maneuver.
In that case, six illegal immigrants from Mexico and Vietnam were referred to Border Patrol, and two suspects were charged with smuggling persons.
The Webb County case unfolded along a known human smuggling corridor near the southern border.
The region has seen deadly smuggling tragedies before.
In 2022, authorities discovered 53 dead migrants inside a sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio after they were transported without adequate ventilation or water.
That incident remains one of the deadliest human smuggling cases in U.S. history.
Border officials and Texas law enforcement have repeatedly warned that smuggling operations place migrants, including children, in dangerous and sometimes deadly conditions.
Trump border czar Tom Homan has also argued that stronger border enforcement saves lives by disrupting smuggling networks.
The latest semitruck discovery underscores the continued risks migrants face when being transported by criminal organizations attempting to bypass law enforcement.
Why It Matters
The case highlights the danger of human smuggling operations near the southern border, especially when migrants are hidden in cramped vehicle compartments. The discovery of four minors inside the truck raises additional concerns about how smugglers exploit vulnerable people.
What Comes Next
The driver faces smuggling and evading arrest charges, while the migrants were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol. Texas DPS says its criminal investigations division is continuing to investigate the case.
A related clip showed Texas DPS finding 20 illegal immigrants, including four minors, hidden inside the sleeper area of a truck tractor in Webb County.
🇺🇸 A routine Operation Lone Star stop in Webb County turned up 20 people, four of them minors, hidden in the sleeper of a truck tractor.
The driver tried to run, got arrested, and now faces smuggling charges.
This is the border reality up close.pic.twitter.com/DFQVJnipyH
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 26, 2026
