TEXAS — Pursuits of vehicles suspected of transporting migrants in Texas have resulted in substantially more deaths, injuries and property destruction than previously reported, according to a study released on Monday by Human Rights Watch.

The report, “So Much Blood on the Ground: Dangerous and Deadly Vehicle Pursuits under Texas’ Operation Lone Star,” says dangerous vehicle chases led to the deaths of at least 74 people and at least 189 people being injured in a 29-month period.

What You Need To Know

  • A new report from Human Rights Watch says immigration-related vehicle pursuits led to at least 74 deaths and 189 injuries in Texas during a two-year period

  • The report says the monthly death rate is at least 45% higher than previously reported

  • The report claims, “in several counties, unnecessary vehicle chases have increased by over 1,000 percent since the program (Operation Lone Star) began”

  • DPS Director Steve McCraw recently told The News York Times that troopers who don’t pursue “in a judicious manner” will be held accountable for their actions 

The report claims the monthly death rate is at least 45% higher than previously reported.

High-speed vehicle chases initiated by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and local law enforcement were studied in the 60 most heavily impacted Texas counties where Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border security program are in place.

The report claims, “in several counties, unnecessary vehicle chases have increased by over 1,000 percent since the program (Operation Lone Star) began.”  

Earlier this month, eight people died when the driver of a car suspected of carrying smuggled migrants fled police and smashed into an oncoming vehicle on a South Texas highway.

The crash happened when the driver of a 2009 Honda Civic tried to outrun deputies from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office and attempted to pass a semi truck, DPS said. The Civic collided with a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, which caught fire.

Everyone in both vehicles was killed, according to DPS. That includes the 21-year-old driver of the Civic, who was from Houston, and his five passengers. Some passengers were from Honduras, department spokesman Christopher Olivarez said in a statement. The two people in the Equinox were from Georgia.

“Public safety doesn’t require careening around Texas roadways or crashing into Texans’ cars and homes,” said Alison Parker, deputy U.S. director at Human Rights Watch. “Texas’ Operation Lone Star is maximizing chaos, fear, and human rights abuses against Texans and migrants, which might be a cynical way to win political points but is not a responsible way to run a government.”

Human Rights Watch analyzed DPS data that was obtained via state records requests from March 2021 through July 2023. That includes more than 5,200 documented vehicle pursuits that DPS troopers engaged in.

The report says 81% of vehicle pursuits were initiated by traffic violations, mostly misdemeanors including speeding or ignoring traffic signals.

The average maximum speed of the chases is 91 mph.

NBC News this week reached out to DPS for comment on the report. Director Steve McCraw directed the news organization to comments he recently made to The New York Times. He said the decision whether to initiate a pursuit is up to troopers and that those who don’t pursue “in a judicious manner” will be held accountable for their actions.

McGraw agreed that the risk could be mitigated, but suggested that not engaging is “rewarding the Mexican cartels.”