Overview
- A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a white Volvo tractor on IH‑35 in Webb County on May 18 and discovered 20 undocumented migrants hidden in the truck’s sleeping compartment.
- The driver, identified as 25‑year‑old Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, tried to flee on foot, was arrested and faces state charges including human smuggling and evading arrest.
- Authorities transferred all 20 migrants—16 adults and four minors from Mexico and Guatemala—to U.S. Border Patrol custody and said the case remains under investigation.
- TxDPS publicly posted video of the traffic stop on May 26 to document the discovery and underscore the use of sleeper berths and other enclosed spaces as high‑risk smuggling tactics.
- Officials described the stop as part of Operation Lone Star enforcement in the Laredo area and said it follows other recent busts, signaling concentrated scrutiny of local smuggling networks and possible additional charges or investigations to watch for.