Border Patrol agents at a Texas checkpoint discovered 60 people hiding in a refrigerated tractor-trailer on Saturday.
Agents found 60 people of various nationalities including 8 Honduras, 22 Guatemalans, 17 Mexicans, and 13 people from El Salvador inside the truck which had been set at 49 degrees.
The agents also found the doors of the trailer were secured with a padlock and the people inside had no means of escape.
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said a K9 alerted officers to the trailer that Saturday morning, after which agents assigned to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint sent a truck for inspection.
Authorities also confirmed that the driver, a Guatemalan citizen, was arrested at the scene.
Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla, Jr. said in a statement that it was a case of smuggling. He added: “Criminal activity like this will also lead to serious consequences for truck drivers who engage in smuggling.”
It is not clear yet what other specific charges will be filed against the driver.
Just last month, 9 illegal immigrants from Mexico died while crammed into the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer found parked outside a Walmart store also in Texas. There was no air conditioning in the trailer-truck at the time, and there was also no water for drinking inside the vehicle. It was described by authorities as a horrific tragedy.
Authorities said they believe the horrific incident was a case of immigrant-smuggling gone wrong. More than 100 people were crammed in the tractor-trailer, 38 people were still there when they were discovered by authorities, while other managed to escape.
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