Texas DPS apprehends "special interest alien" during border operation in Roma

Texas DPS Brush Team takedown in Roma

Texas state troopers and federal agents apprehended six people, including someone they name a "special interest alien" from China, during a tactical border enforcement operation in South Texas.

ROMA, Texas - Texas DPS troopers teamed up with a specialized tactical unit and apprehended six people suspected of being in the country illegally during operations in South Texas.

The operation included one individual the agency described as a "special interest alien," according to a social media post by a DPS spokesperson.

Texas DPS Brush Team apprehends migrants

What we know:

A video shared on Wednesday by Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for DPS in the South Texas Region, shows a man in custody, wearing a colored wristband.

Olivarez said members of the Texas DPS’s Brush Team, an elite unit trained to track individuals moving through dense border terrain, worked alongside U.S. Border Patrol agents during multiple encounters in the Roma area, resulting in the capture of six individuals.

Dig deeper:

During one incident, captured on video, a person attempted to flee from troopers but was quickly apprehended.

Among those taken into custody was a man from China, whom Olivarez referred to as a "special interest alien," a term used more commonly by federal law enforcement.

Illegal immigrant labeled as a "special interest alien" by a Texas DPS official. (Courtesy: Texas DPS - South Texas Region)

Cartel "wristbands" used to track smuggling routes

What they're saying:

All six individuals were identified by DPS as being in the United States illegally and were transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody, Olivarez said.

The video and social media caption also show the individuals wearing colored wristbands, which DPS says are commonly used by "transnational criminal organizations" to track payments and coordinate movement through cartel-controlled smuggling routes.

(Courtesy: Texas DPS - South Texas Region)

Operation Lone Star continues border enforcement

Big picture view:

The arrests are part of Texas’ ongoing border enforcement effort under Operation Lone Star, which involves coordination between state and federal agencies.

The DPS Brush Team operates in the thick brushland of South Texas, focusing on locating and apprehending migrants and suspected smugglers attempting to evade detection in remote border areas.