Texas residents charged after livestreaming immigrant smuggling on Facebook, cops say

A duo from Texas went on Facebook Live while smuggling suspected immigrants and being chased by cops, media outlets report.

Now they’ve been charged.

A Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper tried to stop a Mercedes-Benz SUV for a traffic violation Friday afternoon near Zapata, Texas, KENS reported. But the driver began speeding away from cops, refusing to stop, the San Antonio TV station reported.

Inside the car, a young woman broadcast the pursuit on Facebook Live. The video obtained by KGNS shows the woman posing with men in her backseat and the driver while speeding down the highway.

“I got immigration on my ass,” the driver told a relative over the phone in the video, the Laredo Morning Times reported.

The woman livestreaming the chase said “we are currently going 160 (mph)“ KGNS reported.

The SUV crashed and the woman continues to broadcast herself and the driver as they run from police and hid under brush, KENS reported.

U.S. Border Patrol and Customs agents helped troopers arrest the suspects, KENS reported.

Radio station KRGX shared the video on its Facebook page. It includes explicit language.

Alejandro Vela, 22, was charged with evading arrest, unlawful transport of a person and reckless driving, according to KFXV. Karyme Espinoza, 19, who livestreamed the event, was charged with unlawful transport of a person and evading arrest on foot, KFXV reported.

Three passengers were taken into border patrol custody, KFXV reported.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Eric Estrada said he was “baffled” by the video, KGNS reported.

“We would never think that someone would want to incriminate themselves by livestreaming the crime they are actually committing,” Estrada told KGNS.