LINCOLN — Nebraska State Troopers have completed their deployment to Texas after partnering with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for multiple weeks. The troopers have all completed their final shift of work and are in the process of returning to Nebraska.
“Our troopers performed with great professionalism in tough circumstances in the Del Rio area,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP). “Beyond routine criminal law enforcement, they rescued people from the water, rescued migrants from human smugglers, and located dozens of migrant children, some of whom had been without food or water for days. I’m proud of their extraordinary work during this effort. It was especially heartening to see the tremendous support offered to our troopers by the Del Rio community.”
Nebraska State Troopers actively assisted Texas DPS Troopers, Customs and Border Protection Agents, and Texas Rangers for a total of 24 days, working both day and night shifts. During that time, Nebraska troopers assisted other agencies in performing more than 500 traffic stops and 25 commercial vehicle inspections, which resulted in arrests of several people for possession of narcotics, possession of weapons, and possession of stolen vehicles.
Troopers also assisted in the arrest of more than 15 people for human smuggling, located at least six known gang or cartel members, and assisted in multiple arrests for sexual assault of a minor and child exploitation. During the course of enforcing Texas criminal law, troopers assisted as Texas DPS referred more than 1,600 migrants to Customs and Border Protection. The vast majority of those referrals were of migrants who approached the troopers asking for help.
“We were grateful to have the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol over the last few weeks,” said South Texas DPS Regional Director Victor Escalon. “Not only did our troopers appreciate their assistance and professionalism, but the communities we serve have also shown phenomenal support for our out-of-state law enforcement partners. As the emergency situation continues, we’d like to thank Nebraska and the several other states that have stepped-up to assist our mission to keep our communities safe.”
The deployment was in response to a request made by Texas officials through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a partnership of state emergency management agencies. Nebraska is one of several states that has responded to the EMAC request by sending troopers to assist Texas law enforcement agencies.
The initial deployment included 25 troopers for two weeks but was extended at the request of Texas officials to maintain 15 troopers in the Del Rio area for another two weeks. All of the troopers who took part in this mission were volunteers.
“We had some younger troopers that were down there, even the seasoned ones, are taking experiences back from this that they’re going to carry for the rest of their career,” said Captain Jason Scott, Commander of the NSP Special Operations Division. “I have no doubt that when they come back and look at I-80 they may look at it differently than they did when they went to Del Rio. In essence, our people got about a lifetime’s worth of criminal activity and smuggling investigations in 24 days.”
During the deployment, troopers received numerous letters and other demonstrations of support from members of the Del Rio community.