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Border patrol agents in Texas stopped three 18-wheelers to apprehend nearly 200 undocumented immigrants sardined inside — including 115 who were packed into one compartment, authorities said.
The 115 immigrants, including three unaccompanied children, were discovered hiding in the tractor-trailer Thursday evening in Laredo, Border Patrol said.
Authorities said they spotted the suspicious vehicle and tried to pull it over by turning on their patrol signs, but the truck kept going.
Agents eventually stopped the driver near mile marker 10, authorities said. A search revealed immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala hiding inside.
Photos released by authorities Saturday showed dozens of immigrants crammed into one compartment of the tractor-trailer.
“They’re lucky that it was a cold night in Laredo when that happened. Inside those trailers, it can get up to 115, 120 degrees, and then with that amount of people in there, it’s extremely dangerous,” said Sara Melendez, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo sector.
“There’s no ventilation, there’s nothing. It’s just a closed, sealed box,” she said.
Another 78 immigrants were found inside two other trucks in smuggling attempts last week, authorities said. All three smuggling attempts were thwarted within 36 hours of each other.
The drivers in all three incidents are US citizens, Border Patrol said. All drivers and immigrants are currently in custody.
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