DPS Troopers Apprehend Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants, Including Those from Countries of Special Interest, During Operation Lone Star

Over the past week, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Troopers working as part of Operation Lone Star apprehended two large groups of illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the United States, many from countries with heightened terrorist activity.

On the morning of September 30, DPS Troopers in Eagle Pass encountered a group of 230 illegal immigrants. Among them were 27 individuals from countries of special interest, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, and India. Due to their origin from regions with extensive terrorist activity, these individuals were handed over to federal authorities for further processing and vetting.

DPS Director Steven McCraw highlighted the seriousness of the situation, stating, “These are not illegal immigrants seeking asylum – these are people trying to cross into the United States undetected who may also be trying to do us harm.”

In the same group, 41 immigrants from Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Argentina, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic were arrested for criminal trespass and taken to the Val Verde Processing Center.

In a separate incident on October 2, DPS responded to a request from the Texas National Guard regarding a large group of illegal immigrants near the Hopedale subdivision, north of Eagle Pass. Upon arrival, Troopers apprehended 135 individuals, including 13 from Turkey and one from China.

In a related case from September 21, DPS Troopers arrested Umar Farooq Ashraf of South Africa, who was among a group of 15 immigrants trespassing in Normandy. Following screening, the Terror Screening Center flagged Ashraf as potentially linked to a known or suspected terrorist. He remains in state custody on criminal trespass charges.

Since Operation Lone Star’s launch in March 2021, there have been more than 47,450 criminal arrests and 521,780 illegal immigrant apprehensions across Texas. Additionally, DPS has seized over 547 million lethal doses of fentanyl statewide. These numbers are current as of September 26.