Texas border agents found a group of migrants packed in a dump trailer, including one migrant who died in the smuggling incident.
On June 6, Carrizo Springs Station agents busted 60 migrants hiding inside the dump trailer on a remote road south of Catarina, Texas. Agents also found one of the migrants had died in the vehicle.
Another man has lost his life after a smuggler placed him in a belly dump trailer with more than 60 others!
— Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens (@USBPChiefDRT) June 9, 2022
We often talk about the dangers associated w/ tactics employed by criminal smugglers who have no regard for human life. Unfortunately, this is stark proof of that fact. pic.twitter.com/wy9js1iCrI
“Another man has lost his life after a smuggler placed him in a belly dump trailer with more than 60 others!” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens tweeted. “We often talk about the dangers associated [with] tactics employed by criminal smugglers who have no regard for human life. Unfortunately, this is stark proof of that fact.”
The Webb County Sheriff’s Office, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility will reportedly investigate the death and associated human smuggling incident.
Earlier this year, border officials caught around 200 undocumented immigrants hiding in three separate 18-wheeler trucks, including 115 who were sardined inside one compartment.
“They’re lucky that it was a cold night in Laredo when that happened. Inside those trailers, it can get up to 115, 120 degrees, and then with that amount of people in there, it’s extremely dangerous,” said Sara Melendez, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo sector.
This comes after the lifting of “Title 42,” a controversial border policy implemented by former President Donald Trump back in March 2020 that allowed the U.S. Border Patrol to turn migrants away.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have expressed concerns that the end of “Title 42” could lead to a possible surge in illegal immigrants that could overwhelm them, as a large number of migrants in Mexican cities have been waiting for the policy to drop.
“We are expecting to get wrecked,” a Border Patrol agent told reporters.
The order has since been used by both the Trump and Biden administration, with the latter arguing that it was necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 inside border detention facilities.
In February, approximately 55% of migrants were expelled due to “Title 42,” rather than being released into the U.S.
