Texas Man Accused of Smuggling 100 Migrants in a Locked Trailer
December 24, 2024
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What’s New
A Texas man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly smuggling over 100 migrants, including children, in a locked trailer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Why It Matters
The U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement signaled a crackdown on human trafficking networks.
President-elect Donald Trump, who was elected after pledging mass deportations, has vowed to crack down on illegal migration and human smuggling.
A Department of Homeland Security officer waits for the arrival of migrant children and teenagers from the southern border of the United States at the site of a temporary holding facility that opened Sunday, March… A Department of Homeland Security officer waits for the arrival of migrant children and teenagers from the southern border of the United States at the site of a temporary holding facility that opened Sunday, March 14, 2021, south of Midland, Texas. A Texas man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly smuggling over 100 migrants, including children, in a locked trailer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP
What To Know
Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, faces charges of three counts of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and transporting undocumented immigrants within the United States for financial gain, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani announced on Monday.
Aguirre, a resident of Laredo, Texas, was arrested after authorities discovered 101 migrants, including 12 children, locked inside a trailer on December 2, Hamdani said.
A criminal complaint states that law enforcement observed migrants being loaded into a trailer in a warehouse parking lot in Laredo. During a traffic stop, officers searched the vehicle and allegedly discovered the migrants inside.
According to the complaint, two of the migrants reported experiencing difficulty breathing and “fearing for their lives” due to the conditions inside the trailer.
Aguirre was booked into the Webb County Jail and released on December 5 to a federal agency, according to records from the Webb County Jail.
Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Border Patrol carried out the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Webb County Sheriff’s Office, according to Hamdani’s office.
Meanwhile, in August a suspect who is believed to have masterminded a human smuggling attempt that led to the deaths of 53 migrants has been arrested in Guatemala in what U.S. officials say is a dramatic development in the case.
Rigoberto Román Miranda Orozco has been charged with six counts of migrant smuggling leading to death or serious injury in connection to the incident, which took place in Texas in 2022.
What People Are Saying
Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “HSI Laredo and federal partners are on the case, vowing to bring justice and protect our communities.”
What’s Next
The suspect is set to be arraigned before a U.S. magistrate.
If convicted, Aguirre could face up to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts and fines of up to $250,000.
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