BROWNSVILLE, Texas — At least eight people died after a driver plowed into a crowd of migrants Sunday outside a center serving the homeless in this city near the border with Mexico, authorities said.
Seven people who were hit “died on the spot” when police arrived, said Martin Sandoval, an investigator with the Brownsville Police Department. At least 10 people were injured, one of whom was airlifted to an area hospital. One person died later, the department confirmed late Sunday.
Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. from Cameron County said the group was outside the Ozanam Center, near a bus stop, when a Range Rover rammed them around 8:30 a.m. local time. The driver was injured and taken to hospital, Judge Trevino said.
The driver, whose identity is not publicly known and is believed to be in his 30s or 40s, was charged with reckless driving and was detained, but further charges could be added, Sandoval said.
The man had spoken to investigators in English and Spanish, but he also gave police a different name and did not submit to a breathalyzer test or provide his fingerprints, Sandoval said.
Police are still trying to determine how fast the vehicle was traveling and whether the accident was intentional. Police have ordered a warrant for the driver's blood to determine whether he was drunk, Sandoval said.
Police are also investigating reports that he had made anti-immigration statements.
Brownsville, a border town in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, is no stranger to immigration. Located in one of the poorest areas in the nation with a Hispanic majority population, Brownsville has seen more people crossing, with estimates of up to 1,500 daily migrants arriving in recent days.
Judge Treviño said the crash site was “surprisingly graphic” based on the video he saw afterwards and the briefing he received.
“They looked like very serious injuries,” he said. “After all it is a tragedy, but if it was intentional, it is worse.”
All of the victims are believed to be migrants from Venezuela, many of whom had come to the border in anticipation of the repeal of Title 42, a Trump-era pandemic rule that allowed for easy expulsion of migrants.
Victor Maldonado, executive director of the Ozanam Center, said the driver ran a red light before crashing into a crowd of about 20 people. “All bodies started going everywhere, in all directions,” he said.
A group of people detained the driver, who was trying to escape, said Eyder Hernandez, one of those who stopped him. On the journey from Venezuela to Texas, the migrants are like family, he said.
Michael Eduardo de Aponte Fonseca, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, said the driver had shouted anti-immigration slurs at the group as he fled. One of the people hit by the car fell on Mr Fonseca, he said.
“I saw what was happening around me, and I didn't want to see more of it,” he said. “I took my things, and in fear and shock I crossed the street.”
The Ozanam Center is a shelter frequented by migrants who stay for only a few days while they work to secure passage elsewhere, Maldonado said.
He said they stayed in Brownsville to “do odd jobs and earn a little money so they could get on with life.” However, he added, “Some of those people tonight will not reach their destination.”
Lauren McCarthy, Joshua Needleman And April Rubin reporting contribution.