Texas Officers Detain Driver and 20 People in Semi-Truck During Traffic Stop
Texas Department of Public Safety officers stopped a semi-truck on May 18 and arrested its driver along with 20 individuals found inside the cab and trailer. The driver, identified as a Mexican national, faces state charges for evading arrest and smuggling of persons. Those detained were transferred to federal Border Patrol custody.
deccanchronicle.comTexas Department of Public Safety officers conducted a traffic stop of a white Volvo semi-truck in a rural area on May 18. Video released by the agency shows the driver exiting the cab and running across train tracks before officers took him into custody.
DPS identified the driver as Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a 25-year-old Mexican national. He was charged with evading arrest and smuggling of persons.
Officers then searched the truck.
The released video shows them pulling back a curtain in the sleeper cab, where several people were located inside the confined space. In total, 20 individuals were found and arrested, including four minors. S. Border Patrol custody, according to DPS.
Homeland Security reported in April that no individuals encountered at the southwest border had been released into the United States for 11 consecutive months. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott stated that monthly apprehensions have remained below 9,000 since President Trump took office for a second term.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
3 events- May 18, 2026
Texas DPS officers stopped a semi-truck and arrested its driver after he attempted to flee.
1 sourceFox News - May 18, 2026
Twenty individuals, including four minors, were found inside the truck and taken into custody.
1 sourceFox News - April 2026
DHS reported zero releases of individuals encountered at the southwest border for 11 straight months.
1 sourceFox News
Potential Impact
- 01
Individuals found in the truck were transferred to federal immigration authorities for further processing.
- 02
State criminal charges against the driver will proceed separately from federal immigration proceedings.
Transparency Panel
Related Stories
The GuardianWHO Chief Visits DRC as Ebola Death Rate Reaches 30-50%
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support containment of a new Ebola outbreak. The agency revised the death rate to 30-50% based on confirmed cases and recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected d…
westernjournal.comGreek National Charged in UK With Aiding Iran-Linked Intelligence Service
A 46-year-old Greek man living in Germany was charged under the UK National Security Act with assisting an intelligence service believed to be Iran by targeting a journalist at Iran International.
straitstimes.comJournalists in Gaza to Receive 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom Award
Three international news agencies will accept the award on behalf of their local staff still reporting from the territory. The World Association of News Publishers cited the journalists' continued coverage under extreme conditions.