By Rosa Flores and Zoe Sottile, CNN
A driver plowed into a group outside a shelter that had been housing migrants in a Texas border town on Sunday, leaving seven people dead and several others injured, authorities say.
Authorities in Brownsville, Texas say they got a call 8:30 am CT about a Land Rover that hit multiple people who were waiting at a bus stop across the street from the Ozanam Center, a non-profit homeless shelter that has been helping house migrants.
The crash left seven dead and between four to six others injured, Martin Sandoval, a Brownsville police spokesperson, told CNN. Sandoval added that police believe those killed included migrants. It’s unclear whether the crash was intentional.
CNN interviewed migrants staying at the center in December. At the time, the center’s director told CNN that migrants from all over the world were beginning to stay at the shelter and they were seeing an uptick in stays. The shelter is equipped to house and feed 200 people, according to its website.
Witnesses at the scene detained the driver until officers arrived, Sandoval said during a Sunday news conference. He said the driver of the vehicle received medical care and has been arrested on a reckless driving charge. “More than likely” there will be other charges added, Sandoval said.
Police have not released the name of the driver, but say it was a Hispanic man, Sandoval told CNN. Brownsville police are investigating with the help of Border Patrol, he added.
Sandoval said authorities are still investigating whether the crash was intentional or accidental. He said witnesses described seeing the car “lose control.”
The shelter has been housing immigrants while they wait for permanent housing, he said.
Brownsville, Texas is located on the southern tip of Texas, just across the Rio Grande River. The town’s population is nearly 95% Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2022 census.
The crash happened just days before a Trump-era immigration restriction dubbed Title 42 is set to expire. Officials have predicted a rise in immigration in coming weeks when the restrictions are lifted Thursday.
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