Texas DPS Strike Teams Make 3,100 Interior Immigration Arrests, Aiding ICE Deportation Surge

Records obtained by the Texas Tribune show Texas DPS has redeployed troopers into statewide strike teams assisting ICE and other federal partners, logging 3,131 interior immigration arrests in 2025, many far from the border in Austin, Dallas and Houston. While DPS says it targets criminal offenders, arrest reports reflect a mix of serious and minor or no prior offenses, with tactics ranging from traffic stops to targeted raids. The shift marks an expanded state role in deportation operations amid falling border crossings and new laws pushing local ICE agreements, raising legal and civil-rights concerns. DPS has released few operational details or data on outcomes for those arrested.