Texas National Guardsman caught smuggling migrant across southern border in his government SUV

Specialist Savion Amari Donovan Johnson was charged with evading arrest, smuggling of persons, and unlawful carry of a weapon.

A Texas National Guard soldier was reportedly arrested on Sunday for allegedly attempting to smuggle an illegal immigrant across the border in a government vehicle.

The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated significantly due to the surge in illegal migrant crossings in recent years. Since the start of fiscal 2024 in October, there have been 1,151,448 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters.

Bradley, who covers the southern border, shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the soldier, deployed from McAllen to Eagle Pass under Operation Lone Star, was "busted" for smuggling, according to Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe.

"Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe says the soldier turned around when he approached a pop-up tactical Border Patrol checkpoint off 674 in Kinney County that had only been operational for a few days—The behavior alerting agents who attempted to stop the suv—The sheriff says Texas DPS [Department of Public Safety] got involved with the pursuit and used spike strips which ultimately stopped the vehicle," Bradley wrote.

Johnson allegedly entered a high-speed chase with police in Brackettville, Texas after the silver GMC SUV he was driving abruptly turned around at a Border Patrol checkpoint.

Texas DPS is currently investigating the incident. Newsweek reached out to the department and Kinney County Sheriff's office (KCSO) via email for comment.

Bradley included a bodycam video from KCSO in her post, showing the soldier's arrest. As an officer handcuffs the soldier, he can be heard saying, "Oh man, I'm so stupid," to which another person responds, "Yeah, you are f***ing stupid man."

In the video, when asked by the officer if he had any weapons, the soldier said, "No sir. One in the vehicle." The officer reacted, "Oh, you got a weapon in the vehicle, too? Jesus Christ man."

Governor Greg Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, conveyed in an emailed statement to Newsweek on Wednesday:

"If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal. We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve. The accused's illegal smuggling may subject him to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years. He deserves more."

National Guard soldiers patrol at the entrance to Shelby Park on March 12, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas

Last week, Abbott lauded his Operation Lone Star, a collaboration between his office, Texas DPS, and the Texas National Guard, aimed at securing the southern border and curbing illegal activities like drug and human smuggling into Texas.

"Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 506,500 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 41,200 criminal arrests, with more than 36,700 felony charges," the release continued.

In February, Abbott announced the construction of a military base in Eagle Pass for deployed Texas National Guard soldiers, given the area's high migrant encounter rates. The base will accommodate up to 2,300 soldiers.

Abbott's Lone Star Operation has faced criticism from the Biden administration, who labeled his migrant deterrence strategies as inhumane. Legal disputes between the White House and Texas are ongoing regarding Abbott's measures to reduce illegal border crossings.

Abbott also signed a controversial bill allowing state officials to arrest and detain suspected illegal entrants in Texas. While the law faced legal challenges, the Supreme Court recently upheld an appeals court decision temporarily blocking the federal court's order, permitting Abbott to enforce the new law.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed disagreement with the Supreme Court's ruling, stating that "we fundamentally disagree" with the decision.