A passerby in Devine alerted authorities after spotting what appeared to be dozens of undocumented immigrants jumping out the back of an 18 wheeler trailer and running into the nearby fields. Several units and air support assisted in the massive search that ensued, and around 30 people were detained.
It happened this past Friday night, October 15th around 9 pm. The trailer was parked near Amigo’s gas station in Devine, which is just off I-35.
“From what we know, the driver of the 18 wheeler parked the truck and left in a vehicle, and the IA’s then exited the trailer,” said Sheriff Randy Brown. “We rounded up 30 people, with the assistance of SAPD helicopter assisting.”
The Barber family saw a lot of the event unfold first-hand, as close to a dozen people were found hiding on their property.
“What a crazy night,” Mrs. Barber said. “One man walked up into our hog barn while my father-in-law was there. He came up asking for water, said he was thirsty. We had no idea what was going on. We didn’t know there were another 10 people on our property.”
“Not long after that, my husband and I left the house, and we got a call from a neighbor who said he saw a big bailout happen near us. He said 30-60 people were bailing out and that they looked like they were running toward our property. We knew my father-in-law was there at our house alone, so that was a little scary,” Mrs. Barber said.
“So we headed back to the house to make sure things were okay. I have to commend the police and sheriff’s deputies, they combed through our property and neighbors really well. There were cops and border patrol everywhere, two helicopters circling above.”
“There were just so many people and it’s such an unpredictable situation,” Mrs. Barber adds. “You hear about this happening all the time—but when you’re actually in that situation it’s different. It was pretty scary.”