A U.S. citizen is facing federal conspiracy charges after leading Border Patrol on a 140 mph chase through the New Mexico desert with a car full of illegal immigrants, authorities said.
The pursuit began around 6:20 a.m. on Thursday when agents spotted a black Subaru speeding away from the U.S.-Mexico border along a route known for smuggling, according to the Border Report. Multiple Border Patrol vehicles, all-terrain units and a helicopter joined the chase before the car ran out of gas and occupants scattered. (RELATED: Prosecutors Give Abrego Garcia’s Attorneys The One Thing They Were Hoping For)
The driver, later identified as Michael Thomas Raines, allegedly tried to pin the incident on his passengers, telling agents, “The Mexicans jumped me and stole my car,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet.
A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol vehicle drives past recently installed concertina wire on a section of border wall fencing along the US-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana in San Diego, California on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
A Border Patrol agent first spotted the speeding Subaru but lost sight of it as it fled, prompting him to call for backup. Agents later found the car abandoned near NM Highways 9 and 146 in Grant County, the outlet reported.
Nearby, they found a Mexican woman and child sitting by a fence, then Raines — still claiming he’d been carjacked — and, deeper in the desert, two more Mexican nationals.
Raines reportedly stuck to his story even after being taken to the Lordsburg station, telling agents he only exited from the driver’s side because the passenger door was blocked. But after agents searched his cellphone — with his permission — they uncovered messages instructing him to “just go straight to Albuquerque” to pick up migrants for cash, as well as videos of him shooting guns and selling firearms through an app, the records reportedly say. (RELATED: Illegal Immigration Thoroughfare Left Trashed, Environmentally Damaged As Migrant Influx Subsides)
Agents also learned Raines had served 13 years in prison for premeditated murder, according to the Border Report.
When pressed further, Raines reportedly admitted he “knew the people were illegal” and needed money. Asked how fast he was going, he allegedly laughed and corrected the agents; he didn’t “attempt” to flee, he “did” — boasting he wouldn’t have been caught if he hadn’t run out of gas.
Raines is charged with conspiracy to bring in and harbor aliens.
