Troopers arrest 8 illegal immigrants near Gonzales

Eight illegal immigrants, including two identified as being of “Middle Eastern descent,” have been turned over to federal authorities following two related traffic stops by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and other agencies near Gonzales this week.
DPS troopers made seven arrests early Wednesday afternoon during a stop on a pickup truck which had been reported stolen. Troopers said the truck attempted to elude the stop on Interstate 10, but following a short chase the driver and passengers bailed out of the vehicle.
Troopers were able to apprehend seven of those. Six were identified as Honduran citizens, while one was described as being of “Middle Eastern descent,” according to DPS. All seven were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol in San Antonio.
A tip from a rancher who saw some strange men near the road led to a second stop on Thursday morning. Trooper Pat Davis saw a white mini-van which had arrived to pick up six men dressed in black and tried to make a traffic stop.
Following another short chase, Davis was able to take one man into custody. That man was also termed to be of Middle Eastern descent, according to the DPS report, and he was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston.
During the search for the suspects, DPS received assistance from the Gonzales and fayette County sheriff’s offices as well as the Flatonia Police Department and a DPS helicopter unit.