Operation Lone Star Texas DPS Special Agent Dies from Accident Injuries Sustained on Texas-Mexico Border in Eagle Pass
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2022
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agent Anthony Salas, age 37, of El Paso, Texas sustained a tragic accident while “conducting tactical operations in Maverick County as part of a DPS Special Operations Group working jointly with U. S. Border Patrol BORTAC” on Friday, January 21, 2022, at approximately 7:30 p.m. near Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas.
“Local EMS personnel transported him to Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center and later was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio. Special Agent Salas passed away just after 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 22, 2022, with his family by his side,” said the DPS press release.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officers Association issued a press release stating “It comes with a heavy heart that the Department reports the tragic death of Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agent Anthony Salas. On the evening of Friday, 01/21/2022, Special Agent Salas was supporting Operation Lone Star as a Special Operations Group (SOG) Operator in partnership with the U. S. Border Patrol in Maverick County near Eagle Pass. While honorably performing his duties, Special Agent Salas was involved in an unfortunate traffic crash during the arrest of six Undocumented Aliens (UDAs). Federal and State law enforcement officers at the scene immediately began CPR before transporting Special Agent Salas to the hospital in Eagle Pass, where he was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio. At approximately 11:30 a.m. today (01/22/2022), Special Agent Salas succumbed to his injuries with his family by his side.”
According to sources, the accident occurred near the Travis Kelly Hydroelectric Power Plant area, which is owned by the Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, about 12 miles outside of Eagle Pass, Texas.
Neither DPS nor U. S. Border Patrol have issued specific details of former DPS Special Agent Salas’s accident. The public has many questions concerning the tragic accident that need to be answered by by DPS and U. S. Border Patrol. Did Special Agent Salas sustain a head-on collision, a rollover accident, what type of vehicle was he driving, such as a pick-up truck or SUV or sedan, was he wearing seat belt, did he hit any barriers or fall into a ditch or into a water canal or lateral, did his vehicle roll over him, or did he fall into water? Was he the sole occupant of the vehicle or did he have a partner working with him? The accident is under investigation by DPS and the U. S. Department of Homeland Security.
While the official press release issued by DPS in Austin, Texas did not mention that Special Agent Salas was working for Operation Lone Star, the DPS Officers Association press release does state that Special Agent Salas was “supporting Operation Lone Star.”
Operation Lone Star was launched by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) on March 6, 2021 “to combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas. The Operation integrates DPS with the Texas National Guard and deploys air, ground, marine, and tactical border security assets to high threat areas to deny Mexican Cartels and other smugglers the ability to move drugs and people into Texas,” said Governor Gregg Abbott’s press release on March 6, 2021.
Operation Lone Star was launched by Governor Abbott in response to President Joe Biden’s policies regarding the U. S.-Mexico border and immigration law enforcement on the southern border.
