A Texas truck driver has pleaded guilty to a smuggling attempt that killed 53 migrants
A Texas truck driver accused of killing 53 migrants in a burning tractor-trailer with no air conditioning pleaded guilty Thursday to the 2022 tragedy that became the country’s deadliest attempt to smuggle people across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Homero Zamorano Jr., who lived in Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, serious bodily injury and endangerment of life; one count of alien transportation resulting in death; and one point of transportation of foreigners that resulted in serious bodily injuries and putting lives in danger.
The 48-year-old could face a maximum sentence of life in prison, announced by the US Department of Justice. Zamoran should be sentenced on April 24.
Mark Stevens, Zamorano’s attorney, said in an email that he could not comment on a pending case.
Three hours drive
Authorities say Zamorano, who was driving the truck, and the other people accused of trying to smuggle them were aware that the trailer’s air conditioner was malfunctioning and would not blow cold air to the migrants trapped inside during the steamy, three-hour drive from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio. .
Temperatures reached 38C as the migrants screamed and pounded on the walls of the trailer for help or tried to scramble out, investigators said.
There were 67 people in the truck, and the dead included 27 from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador, according to Mexican authorities. Prosecutors said the migrants paid up to US$15,000 each to be brought across the US border.
The incident occurred on a remote back road in San Antonio on June 27, 2022. Zamorano was taken into custody by officers after they spotted him hiding in nearby bushes, according to a statement from the US attorney’s office. A search of Zamorano’s cell phone turned up calls related to smuggling.
Surveillance footage of the 18-wheeler passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint showed the driver matching Zamorano’s description, according to the indictment.
Christian Martinez from Texas, who was arrested with Zamorana shortly after the migrants were found, was also charged with the tragedy. Martinez has since pleaded guilty to charges related to smuggling.
Four Mexican nationals were also arrested in the 2023 case.
And in August, a suspect was arrested in Guatemala and charged with helping coordinate a smuggling attempt. US authorities would seek the extradition of Rigoberto Romano Miranda Orozco, who is charged with six counts of migrant smuggling resulting in death or serious injury. Authorities said he was linked to four Guatemalan migrants in the trailer, three of whom died, and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Smugglers stole a mobile phone: indictment
According to the indictment against Miranda Orozco, the smugglers forced the migrants to hand over their cell phones before entering the trailer, leaving them no way to call for help. An unknown powder was sprinkled around the trailer to prevent patrol dogs at border inspection stations from detecting the scent of the human cargo.
When the trailer opened in San Antonio, 48 migrants were already dead. Another 16 were transferred to hospitals, where five died. US President Joe Biden called the tragedy “horrifying and heartbreaking”.
Those who died were looking for a better life. News of the trailer full of bodies was met with horror in towns and villages accustomed to seeing their young people leave, trying to escape poverty or violence in Central America and Mexico.
Authorities say the men worked on people-smuggling operations in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, sharing routes, guides, supplies, trucks and trailers, some of which were stored in a private parking lot in San Antonio.
