Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office deputies made a series of arrests on Thursday [1] following the discovery of an alleged migrant smuggling scheme that resulted in 11 migrants being taken to a hospital in San Antonio, Texas. The migrants were found concealed in a compartment within a goose-neck trailer outside a stash house in south San Antonio. The Sheriff’s deputies received a tip earlier in the day regarding the criminal activity and subsequently located the trailer as it arrived at the suspected stash house.
Sheriff Javier Salazar confirmed that 11 migrants were treated at the scene and later taken to a nearby hospital for heat exhaustion. Fortunately, they are expected to survive. The incident occurred near Loop 1604 and Oak Island Drive on the south side of the city, and a total of 26 migrants were rescued from the trailer.
As the deputies arrived at the scene, multiple individuals were observed fleeing from the property. Following a brief pursuit, several suspects were apprehended, along with those responsible for transporting the migrant victims in the goose-neck trailer. A total of seven suspects have been arrested and are now facing charges related to human smuggling. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is conducting an investigation into the case.
During a press conference held at the scene on Thursday, Sheriff Salazar revealed that the migrants were suspected to have been inside the trailer for over three hours, as temperatures approached nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It was reported that the migrants were being transported in the container with minimal ventilation and no access to water. One of the migrants, stated to be from Guatemala, allegedly paid $16,000 to be smuggled from the border region to San Antonio as part of the operation.
Addressing reporters at the press conference, Sheriff Salazar described the harrowing conditions, stating, “It’s miserable conditions in there, and it’s just blazing hot. Fortunately, we were able to get to these people before any of them passed as a result.”
Furthermore, deputies uncovered several suspects inside the suspected stash house, in the vicinity of which officers also discovered multiple rifles and bulletproof vests. It is anticipated that several suspects will be facing charges related to the possession of the weapons along with charges associated with human smuggling, according to Sheriff Salazar.
This recent case adds to a series of similar encounters documented by Salazar’s deputies, particularly along the I-35 corridor extending from the border region in Laredo, Texas. The Sheriff emphasized that human smuggling becomes increasingly perilous in the corridor as summer temperatures escalate. In June 2022, deputies responded to another human smuggling case in south Bexar County, where 53 migrants tragically died after being left inside a locked semi-tractor trailer.
In that incident, as reported by Breitbart Texas, 42 migrants were pronounced dead at the scene, with an additional eleven perishing in local hospitals subsequent to enduring hours within the sealed trailer. Two individuals were arrested and charged in connection with that particular case.