2 Men arrested in the fatal migrant smuggling may face the death penalty as part of a federal investigation.
The Justice Department said on Wednesday that two men could be sentenced to death as part of a federal investigation into 53 migrants’ deaths after being left in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering San Antonio heat this week.
The incident was the deadliest human smuggling incident in American history.
Homero Zamorano, a native of Texas and the putative truck driver, was taken into custody on Wednesday on criminal charges stemming from his alleged participation in the fatal smuggling operation.
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The 45-year-old Pasadena resident may get the death sentence or up to life in prison if found guilty, according to a news statement from the DOJ.
According to the press statement, Zamorano tried to leave the scene before officials arrived on the site on Monday and found him hidden in the undergrowth.
Officers from the San Antonio Police Department then took him into custody.
Using surveillance video from the U.S. Border Patrol, which showed the tractor-trailer passing through an immigration checkpoint in the Laredo sector, federal law enforcement could track Zamorano back to the abandoned vehicle.
According to authorities, the driver in the video, sporting a cap and a black shirt with stripes, resembles Zamorano.
After federal law enforcement officers carried out a search request on a mobile phone linked to Zamorano, Christian Martinez, 28, was also accused.
According to the press statement, investigators discovered correspondence between him and Martinez in which they discussed the attempted smuggling.
On Monday, a municipal worker heard pleas for assistance and came upon the trailer with its doors half-open.
This led federal law enforcement from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component, and San Antonio police officers to the location.
According to the press release, police received many 911 calls from worried people.
Authorities discovered 64 suspected illegal immigrants at the site, including several victims who were still inside the tractor-trailer, which they later found was registered to a home in San Antonio and the neighboring bush.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner said on Wednesday that 53 migrants had perished due to being left in the truck without water or air conditioning.
More than a dozen additional people, including children, had heart-related ailments and were sent to nearby hospitals.
In addition, 11 individuals were still in hospitals as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.