Teenagers are often behind the wheel in high-speed chases with Texas DPS

An analysis of the cases by KTEP News found that teenagers and young adults are often the drivers involved in high-speed chases by state troopers chasing suspected smugglers transporting unauthorized migrants. The strategy is part of Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security initiative.

Kelly Childress, El Paso County’s chief public defender, said her office has represented about 300 people accused of human smuggling this year. According to her, many drivers are teenagers or young people.

“And you look this person in the face, and they’ve never been arrested before, and you have to tell them, ‘By the way, if you’re convicted, you’re going to jail for at least 10 years.’ Childress said. “If we want to solve the problem of transporting people who might be migrants, and the state of Texas really wants to commit the resources to solve this problem, then start educating people.”

According to Oscar F. Hagelsieb, a 25-year veteran of federal law enforcement and president of Hagelsieb Strategic Investigation, HSI, said transport organizations pay between $300 and $1,000 per migrant, depending on the length of the trip.

“Smugglers resort to recruiting teenagers and young people because they are more susceptible to the influence of easy money,” Hagelsieb added.

Social media used to be a recruiting tool, but today it’s done more by “word of mouth” as federal authorities use secret social media profiles to identify recruiters, Hagelsayb said.

“However, this does not mean that social media does not play a big role in recruitment. Smugglers and recruiters show off flashy cars and jewelry and a lifestyle that many poor teenagers dream of on social media,” he said.

Some teenagers prosecuted by DPS have been involved in fatal crashes, like 17-year-old Joseph Anthony Maldonado. He has been charged with murder, and a trial is scheduled for today.

Maldonado ran a red light in a Dodge Charger, allegedly with six migrants, on October 4. He crashed into a blue Toyota Corolla, nearly tearing the roof off the compact car, killing 42-year-old Wendy Rodriguez, who was on her way to work.

In another case, Adrian Nico Brusti, 19, and Juelis Ceniceros, 20, were charged with two counts of murder after they were involved in a clash that left two migrants dead on November 20, 2023.

Brusti allegedly drove through a shopping center parking lot and the migrants jumped out of the moving vehicle on the northwest edge of El Paso County. Brusti allegedly led a high-speed chase at speeds of up to 100 mph that ended nearly 28 miles into the Lower Valley.

According to court documents, Brusti hit a curb and a traffic sign, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and overturn.

Most of the pursuits and crashes occur in northwest El Paso near the Texas-New Mexico state line, a precinct represented by El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado.

He said state troopers should dedicate resources and technology to tracking drivers to their destination instead of engaging in high-speed chases, adding that “that can lead them to where the actual caches are or where other individuals are involved.”

Gonzalez, now 22, claims he did not know the people in the car he was driving were undocumented, even though he has pleaded guilty to smuggling charges. He says he was recruited on social media to give people a lift and was offered hundreds of dollars per passenger. He declined to say the exact amount.

From behind bars, he warns other young people looking to make a quick buck to “think twice. Do legitimate work.”

Angela Kocherga, news director of KTP, took part in the story.