Texas Operation Detains Migrants as They Were Returning to Mexico

Migrant detentions in Texas

Migrant return interrupted

Surprise operation in Texas

At the border between the United States and Mexico, an unknown number of migrants were detained by Texas police as they were about to return to the country.

“They’re pulling people off!” participants warned in a chat created to coordinate the more than 400 members of the migrant caravan from San Luis Potosí.

Migrant Detentions at the Texas Border at Dawn

Migrants detained in the U.S. just seconds before returning to Mexico
https://t.co/TRyeib7l1S

— Milenio (@Milenio) December 27, 2025

It was nearly five in the morning. There was already a long line of pickup trucks with loaded beds, lined up to cross from Brownsville to Matamoros. The final destination was San Luis Potosí.

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Everyone carried a perforated pass identifying them as part of the caravan organized by authorities from San Luis Potosí and a group of mayors.

The goal was the same as every year: to bring home compatriots living in the United States who return for the holidays.

Unexpected Inspection on the U.S. Side

Migrant detentions in Texas as they were returning to Mexico – Photo Shutterstock

This time, the journey was interrupted before crossing. Texas police, working in coordination with immigration authorities, were waiting for them on the U.S. side.

One by one, the vehicles were stopped. Officers checked the documents of those traveling in the caravan, according to Milenio.

The procedure was carried out systematically. An unknown number of people were detained.

Authorities did not report how many or under what specific criteria. For those traveling in the pickup trucks, the scene was unprecedented.

Such an inspection had never been seen just moments before returning to Mexico. The intervention ended with several migrants subjected to an administrative process.

They were registered. Fingerprints were taken. The operation added to the statistics of detentions and processing of undocumented individuals, reinforcing concerns about migrant detentions in Texas.

Detentions Amid the Holiday Return

In Sonora, the 2025 Special Winter Operation of the “Héroes Paisanos” Program was launched.

Anastasio Santos spoke about it #EnContacto with @Karina_BarrazaV pic.twitter.com/XtViJmmTx1

— Uniradio Informa Sonora (@uniradiosonora) December 22, 2025

The incident occurred while Mexico was deploying the Héroes Paisanos 2025 operation.

At the same time, the government of Donald Trump took advantage of the return of thousands of migrants.

The detention took place just seconds before crossing the border into Mexico. For many, the return did not mean remaining on U.S. soil.

It was a temporary or definitive return trip. However, the inspection changed the course of the early morning.

What was supposed to be the end of the journey became a point of detention, highlighting growing concerns over migrant detentions in Texas during seasonal returns.