Fifty migrants confirmed dead in suspected human smuggling plan

Officials have confirmed at least 50 migrants were found dead in the back of an abandoned tractor-trailer on Monday, June 27 in San Antonio.

The discovery was made on Monday evening by a nearby worker who heard cries for help coming from the parked truck. When officers arrived, they found a body on the ground and that a door to the trailer was partially opened.

According to Charles Hood, San Antonio Fire Department chief, all the deaths were attributed to heat-related causes, including heat stroke and exhaustion. Hood said that all of the migrants were inside the back of the tractor-trailer with no working A/C or water. It is unknown how long the migrants were in the trailer before police arriving on the scene.

“You’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there,” Hood said. “None of us come to work imagining that.”

At least 16 others – 12 adults and four children – were taken to nearby hospitals with heat-related injuries. Hood said the victims were visibly weak and would have been unable to leave the trailer on their own. Hood added that the migrants were “hot to the touch” when emergency crews arrived. Temperatures in the San Antonio area had reached 99 degrees the day of the discovery.

Those in the trailer are presumed to be part of a migrant smuggling attempt into the United States. U.S. Homeland Security is leading the investigation. Officials have taken three people into custody. According to police, it is unknown whether they are “absolutely connected to this or not.”“

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, reported the death toll had reached 50, including 22 Mexican nationals, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans. That number was later confirmed by law enforcement.

The truck and trailer’s federal DOT numbers traced back to Alamo, Texas-based Betancourt Trucking and Harvesting.

According to a report from the San Antonio Express-News, the owners of the company claim the truck is a clone. To that point, the company pointed out that the trailer at the scene does not have their company logo, which is displayed on all their other trucks and trailers. The company said its truck had not been to San Antonio recently.

“Our (refrigerated trailer) is sitting right in the yard,” co-owner Felipe Betancourt Jr. told the San Antonio Express-News. “That one in San Antonio is not our trailer.”

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the event a, “horrific human tragedy.”

“I would urge you all to think compassionately, and pray for the deceased, the ailing the families,” Nirenberg said at the scene on Monday. “We hope that those responsible for putting these people in such inhumane conditions are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we’re facing a horrific human tragedy.

More than 40 hopeful lives were lost. I urge you to think compassionately, pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families at this moment.

— Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) June 28, 2022

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that his department is working to combat smuggling networks.

“Human smugglers are callous individuals who have no regard for the vulnerable people they exploit and endanger in order to make a profit,” Mayorkas said in a tweet. “We will work alongside our partners to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable and continue to take action to disrupt smuggling networks.”

I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life today and am praying for those still fighting for their lives. Far too many lives have been lost as individuals – including families, women, and children – take this dangerous journey.

— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) June 28, 2022

Federal officials told CBS News this appears to be the deadliest human smuggling case in modern U.S. history. Police say the number of victims could continue to rise, with search and rescue efforts still ongoing.

Ten people were killed in San Antonio from a 2017 smuggling case. LL