Breaking News

The driver in a Texas migrant smuggling hit that left 53 dead has pleaded guilty


Texas truck driver accused in the deaths of 53 migrants who were riding in a burning tractor-trailer without air conditioning pleaded guilty Thursday in the 2022 tragedy that became the country’s deadliest smuggling attempt across the US-Mexico border.

Homero Zamorano Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court in San Antonio on 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, the Department of Justice announced. 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.

MAN ARRESTED NEAR LA FIRES WITH A POSSIBLE LAMP IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: ICE SOURCES

The makeshift memorial was created after it was discovered that dozens of illegal immigrants were found dead in a tractor trailer. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)

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 not blowing cold air. migrants trapped inside during the steamy, three-hour drive from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio.

Temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) 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 27 were among the dead from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador, according to Mexican authorities. Prosecutors said the migrants paid up to $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 an 18-wheeler passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint it showed the driver matched Zamorano’s description, according to the indictment.

Christian Martinez, also from Texas, who was arrested with Zamorana shortly after the migrants were found, was previously accused of the tragedy. Martinez has since pleaded guilty to charges related to smuggling.

THE HIGHEST BORDER REPRESENTATIVE PUSHES FOR A BLOODTHREAD GANG TO BE DECLARED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION: ‘GLOVES OFF’

Police officers surround the tractor-trailer in which dozens of illegal immigrants were found dead. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)

Four Mexican nationals were also arrested in that case in 2023. And in August, a suspect was arrested in Guatemala and charged with helping coordinate the smuggling attempt. US authorities have said they will seek the extradition of Rigoberto Roman 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.

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. President Joe Biden he 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.

Migrants paid the organization up to $15,000 each to transport them across the border. The fee would cover up to three attempts to enter the US

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The incident is the deadliest among the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people tried to cross USA border with Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after becoming trapped in a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a steaming truck southeast of San Antonio.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com