San Antonio Standard

Special Agent Anthony Salas, a member of the Texas Department of Public Safety, died as a result of a traffic accident Jan. 22. 

CBS DFW 21 reports that the 37-year-old officer was helping U.S. Border Patrol transport six people who had entered the country illegally when the accident occurred. The single-vehicle accident took place near Eagle Pass, and Salas was initially brought to a hospital in Eagle Pass before being taken to University Hospital in San Antonio.

Republican Texas gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines expressed his condolences for the fallen officer.

"My family and I are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Trooper Salas," Huffines said. "Our law enforcement has been placed in exceptional danger for years because of the flood of criminals across the Texas border." 

The border has continued to play a major role in the Republican primary race for governor. NBC DFW 5 reports that Huffines has criticized Gov. Greg Abbott refusing then-President Trump’s  requests to declare an emergency on the border, but announced the building of a wall after his primary opponent asserted that Abbott was failing to take the border crisis seriously. 

"When I am governor, Texas law enforcement will not have to transport illegal aliens throughout the state," Huffines said. "My administration will build a wall to stop the flow of people, and we will immediately deport these invaders back across the river."

Abbott also issued condolences to the officer’s family, but according to Texas Scorecard, he has recently drawn fire from journalist John Davidson, who claims that "a lot of what Gov. Abbott has sort of authorized is political theater, so that he can say that he’s doing something about the border in the face of federal inaction."

Huffines is the CEO of Huffines Communities, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based real estate development firm, and from 2015 to 2019 served in the Texas Senate, representing the people of Texas' 16th senate district.

Huffines joins a crowded field challenging Abbott in the March 1 GOP gubernatorial primary, according to Ballotpedia. Other challengers include former Florida Congressman and Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, and media personality Chad Prather.

Former El Paso City Council member and U.S. Congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke leads the Democratic field for the post. He mounted unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate and president recently. 

Abbott is currently serving as the 48th governor of Texas. Before being elected governor in 2014, Abbott was the longest-serving attorney general of Texas.