Officials said the dead and injured were migrants from countries including Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Violence, economic and political upheaval and climate change have driven Central American migration to the southern U.S. border.
The San Antonio police said last month that they had arrested a man identified as the driver, Mr. Zamorano. Officers found him hiding in the brush after he tried to run away, the U.S. attorney said. Authorities then searched his cellphone and found “communications” with Mr. Martinez about the human smuggling.
In surveillance footage obtained by the Homeland Security Department, Mr. Zamorano was seen wearing the same clothing as that of the driver of the tractor-trailer when it crossed a federal immigration checkpoint, the U.S. attorney said. The truck was not inspected at the checkpoint.
Two Mexican nationals, whom the police saw leave the San Antonio residence where the tractor-trailer was registered, were also indicted on Wednesday on one count each of possession of a firearm while unlawfully present in the United States, the U.S. attorney in San Antonio said.
The two men, Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, 48, and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, have been in federal custody since they were arrested on June 27. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/us/migrant-death-indictment-san-antonio.html
Comments