2-year-old crosses border alone seeking parents in US, heartbreaking video from Texas DPS shows



The Texas Department of Public Safety shared heartbreaking videos on Sunday showing dozens of unaccompanied children who had recently crossed the southern border into the United States.

Among the group of 60 children was a 2-year-old girl who told law enforcement officers that she had journeyed alone and was hoping to be reunited with her parents in the U.S. In the video, the child clutched a piece of paper, which she extended toward the officers. Inscribed on the note was a name and phone number.

'Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks.'

An officer asked the child, "Did you come by yourself?"

She nodded her head in the affirmative.

"How old are you?" the officer inquired.

The child held up a couple of fingers and responded, "Two."

When asked where she was going, she replied, "With my mom and dad," who she stated were in the U.S.

The heart-wrenching video was shared by Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez, who also posted two other clips showing unaccompanied minors lined up near the southern border, presumably while awaiting processing. Going down the rows, the children shared their age, country of origin, and their intended destination in the U.S.

Olivarez posted photographs of several "special interest immigrants" who appeared to arrive with the group of children.

He wrote on X, "This morning, @TxDPS encountered a group of 211 illegal immigrants in Maverick County. Among the group were 60 unaccompanied children/minors ages 2 - 17 and 6 special interest immigrants from Mali & Angola."

"This is a stark example of the precarious journey these children make from their home country & how criminal organizations traffic these children across the southern border & further into the interior," Olivarez continued. "Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks."

He explained that "hundreds of thousands" of children have gone missing during their journeys to the U.S., noting that "no one [is] ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily."

"Despite the criticism over the years, the reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again," he added.

Texas DPS has rescued more than 900 children as a part of Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, Olivarez said.

According to Customs and Border Protection data, more than 110,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border in fiscal year 2024.

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FACT CHECK: Post Claims Texas DPS Leader Called All Illegal Immigrants ‘Cockroaches’

FACT CHECK: Post Claims Texas DPS Leader Called All Illegal Immigrants ‘Cockroaches’

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Illegal aliens attempting to scale border wall throw rocks, sand, and water bottles at Border Patrol agents: Video



A group of illegal aliens who were recently attempting to scale the border wall dividing Texas from Mexico entered into a tense confrontation with Border Patrol agents, according to an aerial video taken by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The video, taken this week, captured the illegal immigrants while they were attempting to descend a rope ladder draped over the border wall. As law enforcement officials on the ground approached the scene, several individuals on the other side of the wall began throwing rocks and sand at the responding officers, according to Texas DPS. One individual appeared to chuck water bottles at authorities while they were attempting to make arrests, the video showed.

'The video illustrates recent behavior by these groups.'

Two illegal immigrants perched at the top of the wall entered into a back-and-forth tug of war with a Border Patrol agent over the rope ladder, the footage captured. Eventually, the two individuals gave up and retreated back into Mexico.

The Santa Teresa Station is located in the El Paso Sector. In the first seven months of fiscal year 2024, the sector has experienced more than 180,000 encounters, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

"This week, DPS provided air support to Border Patrol Agents responding to a group of illegal immigrants attempting to climb the border wall near the Santa Teresa [Port of Entry] & illegally enter the U.S. The video illustrates recent behavior by these groups in the El Paso Sector—throwing rocks, sand & water bottles at responding agents," Texas DPS wrote in a Thursday post on X.

— (@)

In March, a massive group of more than 200 illegal aliens tore down the concertina wire at the border and shoved past Texas National Guardsmen, Blaze News previously reported. The caught-on-video altercation occurred at Gate 36, a closed area of the border that is not a designated port of entry. The illegal immigrants, mostly adult males, were accused of participating in a riot.

El Paso County Judge Ruben Morales dismissed the charges, claiming he was forced to do so because the state failed to provide a transfer order to move the cases from district to county court.

A similar incident on April 22 also occurred at Gate 36. Morales dropped the charges against the illegal immigrants in that case as well, claiming that there was no evidence of "probable cause" to indicate that the individuals participated in a riot.

District Attorney Bill Hicks called for a grand jury to decide on the case after he claimed Morales refused to review additional evidence. The group of 12 El Paso citizens effectively overruled Morales' judgment, deciding to indict more than 140 illegal aliens on misdemeanor riot participation charges.

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'Obviously ... it was the wrong decision': Texas DPS chief admits fatal police error in Uvalde school shooting



Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw admitted Friday that police in Uvalde, Texas, made a fatal error in judgement during Tuesday's mass shooting event at Robb Elementary School, waiting outside for backup instead of rushing in to confront the gunman.

“Obviously, based on the information we have, there were children in that classroom that were still at risk,” McCraw said. “From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision. Period.”

\u201cTexas Department of Public Safety Col. Steven McCraw on the decision to not immediately breach the classroom door: \u201cFrom the benefit of hindsight, where I\u2019m sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision, period. There\u2019s no excuse for that\u2026\u201d\u201d
— CNN (@CNN) 1653671377

Speaking at a press conference, McCraw revealed new details about the massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The local police have faced mounting criticism over their response to the active shooter situation, particularly from parents who accused officers of "doing nothing" while the gunman was inside the school.

"We're here to report facts as we know them now. Not to defend what was done or to criticize what was done or the actions taken," McCraw said.

According to the director, video evidence reveals that at 11:27 a.m. local time, a teacher had propped open an exterior door that police suspected the gunman used to enter the building.

At 11:28 a.m., the shooter crashed his vehicle in a ditch outside the school, exited, and then began firing at two males from a nearby funeral home who had come to investigate the crash. He did not hit either of the two men.

At 11:30 a.m., the teacher re-emerged from inside the school "in panic" and called 911 to report the car crash and a man with a gun.

By 11:31 a.m., the shooter had reached "the last row of vehicles" in the parking lot and started firing at the school building from outside.

Earlier reports that a school resource officer had confronted the gunman outside the building were inaccurate, McCraw said. That officer "was not on scene" at the time, but had "heard the 911 call" and "drove immediately to the area."

McCraw said the officer "sped to what he thought was the man with a gun at the back of the school that turned out to be a teacher, and not the suspect. In doing so he drove right by the suspect, who was hunkered down behind a vehicle where he began shooting at the school."

At 11:33 a.m., the gunman used the propped-open door to enter the building. McCraw said that audio evidence indicates the suspect fired more than 100 rounds after entering the school.

Three officers from the Uvalde police department went to the same door as the suspect at 11:35 a.m., and two received "grazing wounds" from the suspect while the door was closed, McCraw said. They were followed by four more officers, including a county sheriff, who responded to the scene.

Gunfire was heard intermittently during this time. At some point, the shooter had entered a classroom, where he massacred the children.

By 12:03 p.m. there were as many as 19 officers on scene and in the school hallway, McCraw said. The suspect fired again at 12:21 p.m. and was believed to be at the door of the classroom.

Law enforcement moved down the hallway and at 12:50 p.m. breached the classroom door using keys obtained from a janitor. At that time, they confronted and killed the suspect, the director said.

McCraw also shared new details about 911 calls made by students, including one who repeatedly asked the dispatcher to "please send police now."

\u201cA girl who was inside one of the classrooms where the gunman opened fire called 911 several times during the siege, Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety says.\n\n\u201cPlease send the police now,\u201d she said at one point.\u201d
— CBS News (@CBS News) 1653669177

McCraw said the gunman was found to have a history of discussing school shootings and buying a gun in Instagram chats in February and March of this year. In September 2021, he asked his sister to help him buy a weapon, but she refused.

Facing questions from reporters on why it took nearly an hour to stop the shooter, McCraw said police mistakenly believed the situation had changed from an "active shooter to a barricaded subject."

"The on-scene commander considered a barricaded subject and that there was time and that there were no more children at risk," McCraw said.

Police thought there was time to retrieve the classroom keys and wait for a tactical team with equipment to breach the door and take on the subject, McCraw said.

"The decision was made on the scene."