At least two illegal immigrants were found dead after a smuggler abandoned a truck that was carrying more than 100 people on the side of the highway in La Salle County, Texas, authorities said.
Investigators are still trying to piece together the details of what happened and why the smuggler ditched the truck, leaving the migrants sealed inside along an interstate Friday evening.
By the time deputies reached the truck, the migrants had busted the back doors open. At least two were already dead, another 30 were outside, some in medical distress, and dozens had already run off.
“It’s a tragic situation,” said Lt. Homer Olivarez of the La Salle Sheriff’s Office.
He said there were no obvious signs of trauma to the two dead migrants, and investigators are awaiting results from the medical examiner.
The truck was abandoned on the side of Interstate 35. That’s a heavily traveled route for smugglers taking people from Laredo to San Antonio.
Authorities were first tipped to the situation when 911 calls came in, apparently from a migrant in the truck. The dispatcher heard screams for help.
A deputy who also heard the call figured it was coming from someone trapped in an enclosure, and deputies began searching for the incident. Eventually, another 911 call came in from someone who saw people breaking out of the truck, pinpointing the exact location for deputies, who arrived to find the chaos, Lt. Olivarez said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies from the state and federal government responded and searched into Saturday, rounding up a total of about 100 migrants who were tied to the truck.
Authorities said they also nabbed other smugglers who rushed to try to pick up some of the migrants who’d escaped the truck and fled into the surrounding brush.
That included one vehicle that crashed into the brush, the sheriff’s office said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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