At around the same time Wednesday that Secretary of Homeland Security Anthony Mayorkas was testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee that there was "no crisis" at the southern border, a car driven by a human smuggler carrying five illegals crashed head-on into an SUV carrying two Americans. The crash happened on Highway 57 near Batesville, Texas, and resulted in the deaths of eight people, including the smuggler and the innocent Americans.

BREAKING: 8 people are dead, including two innocent Americans, after a human smuggler driving a vehicle full of illegal immigrants crashed head on into a SUV while evading police in Batesville, TX, killing everyone in both vehicles, according to @TxDPS. Deceased Americans from… pic.twitter.com/feqr2fkftN

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 8, 2023

Initial word is that the illegals were from Honduras, and the two Americans were from Georgia.

Following the 8am crash - which happened some 50 miles from the border - state officials revealed the pair hailed from Georgia, and that they had been in an SUV struck by the suspected smuggler's vehicle.

That car, a white Honda that laid shattered after the incident, was evading arrest from the Zavala County Sherriff's Office when it passed an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone, colliding with the other vehicle.

DPS Troopers later confirmed that several of the deceased - including the aforementioned smuggler - were from Honduras. In a statement, officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety said their investigation was still ongoing.

Mayorkas' appearance before the Appropriations Committee earlier Wednesday was, in part, a plea for more money. When questioned by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smight if he was saying the situation at the border was "not a disaster," Mayorkas replied, "That is correct."

This is a developing story.