On May 26, 2025, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers intercepted a suspect vehicle near Laredo, Mexico, during Operation Loan Star—a joint effort between Texas DPS and the Military Department targeting human smuggling. The vehicle carried seven individuals who were found to have illegally entered the U.S. and were subsequently handed over to U.S. Border Patrol. The driver, 22-year-old Jose Hernandez, faced multiple charges including smuggling people and evading arrest, with prior legal issues from 2023 involving bail and failure to appear. In 2025, Hernandez entered a plea agreement to avoid federal charges, pleading guilty only to evading arrest with a vehicle. He was sentenced to four years in state prison and is currently serving time at the Segovia Unit in Texas, with eligibility for parole by now but possible continued incarceration until 2029. The broader context reveals a rising trend in federal immigration prosecutions, where individuals face lengthy prison sentences costing taxpayers $47,000 per year, intended to deter future illegal entries. While the state prosecuted Hernandez under state law, federal jurisdiction typically covers cross-border smuggling, suggesting legal and jurisdictional challenges in such cases. This operation underscores both the growing enforcement of immigration laws and the complex legal dynamics in handling human smuggling across state and federal lines.
On May 26th, 2025, troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety observed a white dodge charger speeding onto the interstate outside of Laredo, Texas near the border with Mexico. Dashcam footage obtained by Midwest Safety offers a rare inside look into Operation Loan Star, the state's joint operation between Texas DPS and the Texas Military Department, which intends to combat illegal immigration and human smuggling. "We're both keen to get an asshole, I get a section." "I'm behind them, I'm behind them." "We're going international, international, right on international." Walmart, we're going to Walmart, we're going to Walmart. "We're going back to international, going back to 35." "Yes, south on loop, south on loop." "Okay, good, kind of, go ahead and take all the radio." "Aero, aero, to go ahead and leave." "Okay, hey, I'm scared." "Oh my god, what am I doing?" "Oh my god, I'm stuck here." "Okay." "We're about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo." "Oh my god, I'm going to be about to head to Chilo." "We're about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo." "You did it?" "Okay." "Okay, so we're going to go out, we're just at the intersection of the part where we're going to be in Chilo." "Hey, we're approaching University." "We're going to heavy traffic, and we're going to have to connect you." "Oh, thank you, good job, good job, Sammy." "We're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay." "We're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, I don't know what it is. [inaudible] [inaudible] Okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. [inaudible] Okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. Okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. Okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. We're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. We're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to be about to head to Chilo, okay. Okay, we're going to head to Chilo, okay. Okay, we're going to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to head to Chilo, okay, we're going to head to Chilo, okay. In all, seven passengers were found to have been smuggled into the U.S. illegally and were remanded to the custody of U.S. Border Patrol.
These names were recorded in the case report, so it is unknown as to their eventual fate. Most likely, all seven faced expedited removal, however following a dramatic decrease in the spring of 2020. Immigration prosecutions have since trended upward. This suggests that more immigrants found to have illegally gained entry into the United States are being charged with federal crimes and given federal prison sentences at the cost of $47,000 to the U.S. taxpayer per individual per year before being deported. This strategy is more than likely to discourage repeated illegal entries which far exceeds any other category of criminal charge. The driver of the vehicle identified as 22-year-old Jose Hernandez was charged with seven counts of smuggling of a person and evading arrest with a vehicle. According to Web County jail records, Hernandez was charged with these same crimes in addition to evading arrest and reckless driving in 2023, where he made bail and failed to reappear in court prompting Web County to issue a warrant for his arrest. According to court documents, his bail was set at a total of $150,000 for the crimes he committed in 2025. Four months later, Hernandez entered into a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to evading arrest with a vehicle in exchange for dropping the charges of evading arrest and reckless driving. No record exists of Hernandez being indicted for smuggling of a person, possibly to avoid jurisdictional concerns with the federal government which typically handles cross-border human smuggling cases. No evidence exists of any federal charges being brought against him. Hernandez was sentenced to four years in state prison, which he is currently serving at the Segovia Unit in Edinburgh, Texas. He was eligible for parole by the time we obtained this video, but could remain in prison until 2029.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Texas DPS and Military Department conducted a joint operation near Laredo to intercept human smuggling, as captured in dashcam footage.
Seven passengers were found to have illegally entered the U.S. and were handed over to U.S. Border Patrol for processing.
The driver, 22-year-old Jose Hernandez, was charged with seven counts of smuggling a person and evading arrest with a vehicle.
Hernandez previously failed to appear in court in 2023, resulting in a $150,000 bail and a warrant issued.
He entered a plea agreement in 2025 to plead guilty to evading arrest with a vehicle, dropping other charges to avoid federal jurisdiction issues.
Hernandez was sentenced to four years in state prison and is currently serving time at the Segovia Unit in Edinburgh, Texas.
Immigration prosecutions have increased since 2020, with individuals facing federal charges and prison sentences costing taxpayers $47,000 per person annually.
The strategy of prosecuting illegal entries with long prison terms is intended to deter future smuggling attempts.
Summary:
On May 26, 2025, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers intercepted a suspect vehicle near Laredo, Mexico, during Operation Loan Star—a joint effort between Texas DPS and the Military Department targeting human smuggling. S. S.
Border Patrol. The driver, 22-year-old Jose Hernandez, faced multiple charges including smuggling people and evading arrest, with prior legal issues from 2023 involving bail and failure to appear. In 2025, Hernandez entered a plea agreement to avoid federal charges, pleading guilty only to evading arrest with a vehicle.
He was sentenced to four years in state prison and is currently serving time at the Segovia Unit in Texas, with eligibility for parole by now but possible continued incarceration until 2029. The broader context reveals a rising trend in federal immigration prosecutions, where individuals face lengthy prison sentences costing taxpayers $47,000 per year, intended to deter future illegal entries. While the state prosecuted Hernandez under state law, federal jurisdiction typically covers cross-border smuggling, suggesting legal and jurisdictional challenges in such cases.
This operation underscores both the growing enforcement of immigration laws and the complex legal dynamics in handling human smuggling across state and federal lines.
FAQs
The operation, known as Operation Loan Star, involved joint efforts between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department to combat illegal immigration and human smuggling.
Seven passengers were identified as having been smuggled into the United States illegally and were remanded to U.S. Border Patrol custody.
Jose Hernandez was charged with seven counts of smuggling a person and evading arrest with a vehicle in 2025.
Yes, in 2023, Hernandez was charged with evading arrest and reckless driving, made bail, and failed to reappear in court, leading to a warrant being issued.
He entered a plea agreement in 2025, pleading guilty to evading arrest with a vehicle, and in exchange, the other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to four years in state prison.
No evidence exists of federal charges being brought against him, possibly due to jurisdictional concerns, as federal authorities typically handle cross-border human smuggling cases.
Chat with AI
Loading...
Pro features
Go deeper with this episode
Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.
PodcastTranscript AI