Texas arrests Chinese 'special interest' immigrants amid detention facility lawsuit

The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that six Chinese nationals were arrested in Maverick County after being found hidden on a private ranch. Designated as “special interest aliens” under Department of Homeland Security criteria, the arrests were part of Operation Lone Star. Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Chris Olivarez emphasized that “border security is national security.”

Separately, civil‑rights groups have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over conditions at the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso. The complaint cites three deaths, a measles outbreak that infected at least 14 people, claims of violent force, solitary confinement, and insufficient food. Detainee Navdeep said, “We could die here, and it feels like no one would care,” while another detainee described being beaten and living in “purgatory.” The suit seeks to halt the alleged inhumane treatment and to protect the Fifth Amendment rights of current and future detainees.