Two Detainees Escape While Transported From Falfurrias Checkpoint Near Alice; Search Underway

Two male detainees escaped custody while being transported near Alice on Feb. 15, 2026, prompting a multi-agency search, the Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The men ran from a third-party transport that had collected them at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint and was moving them toward a detention center.

The transport in question was operated by a private contractor, not by Border Patrol agents, according to the sheriff’s office account that described the detainees as male and in third-party custody when they fled. The escape occurred during a roadway transfer between the Falfurrias checkpoint and the unnamed detention facility that was the destination for the detainees.

Jim Wells County deputies were dispatched to the area after the escape was reported, and the sheriff’s office said the effort expanded into a multi-agency search. The agency did not provide a breakdown of participating departments, but confirmed coordinated activity in and around Alice and the surrounding county roads connected to the Falfurrias checkpoint corridor.

Local law enforcement sources noted the incident raises questions about oversight of contracted transport operations that move detainees from the Falfurrias checkpoint toward detention centers. The use of third-party transports has been standard in some Border Patrol workflows, and this escape spotlights responsibilities shared by contracting companies and local authorities when custody is transferred on county roadways.

Residents driving between Alice and Falfurrias may have encountered increased law enforcement presence on Feb. 15 and through Feb. 16, as the sheriff’s office continued search operations. The office characterized the search as active as of Feb. 16, 2026, and advised caution in areas near the checkpoint and along primary routes linking Alice to Falfurrias.

The escape and ongoing search place operational and public-safety pressure on Jim Wells County institutions that handle custody transitions. County officials and the sheriff’s office have the authority to request investigative support and to review contractor procedures; the sheriff’s office confirmed those investigative actions were underway as the search continued.