Border Patrol Agents Rescue 23 Migrants Trapped Inside Train Car in Searing Heatwave

A train coming across the US-Mexico border was stopped in Texas on Tuesday. Border Patrol agents were able to rescue several migrants trapped inside one of the cars as they suffered from searing temperatures close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The train was stopping in the Laredo sector of the US-Mexico border when Border Patrol agents found migrants locked inside a compartment during one of their routine checks. A total of 23 migrants were rescued, according to Customs and Border Protection.

Despite the searing heat, none of the rescued migrants needed any medical attention, per Newsweek. Following their rescue, they were all processed according to their immigration status. The 23 migrants came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Border Patrol agents were checking the train at around 7:00 AM at a checkpoint in Cotulla, Texas as part of their regular duties. The migrants were all in good health after their discovery despite the extreme heat inside the train car.

"During their routine duties - and with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees yesterday - Border Patrol agents rescued 23 migrants from a locked train compartment who were put in a life-threatening situation by callous human smuggling organizations who prioritize profit over all else," said Laredo Sector Chief, Jesse D. Munoz. "CBP's message for anyone who is thinking of entering the United States unlawfully remains simple: don't do it."

Migrants Tricked Into Thinking Crossing the Border Is Safe, Says Border Patrol

The migrants found inside the train were likely to have paid smugglers to get them across the border. These smugglers were the ones who stuffed them inside a train compartment to try and avoid being detected by Border Patrol agents.

Chief Munoz noted that Border Patrol agents had to use "extra tools" to eventually open up the compartment to free the migrants, and even though they were found to be safe, he still said that they were in a "life-threatening situation" and blamed human smuggling organizations that "prioritized profit over all else."

"Smugglers continue to lie to migrants, claiming the borders are safe to cross," said the CBP. "The borders are not open to irregular migration, and people should not attempt to make the dangerous journey."

Human Traffickers Using Trains to Smuggle Migrants Nothing New

The practice of smuggling migrants across the US-Mexico border has been done frequently already, with an infamous incident happening in August 2023 where Border Patrol agents noticed something strange in an X-ray of a rail car that was supposed to be carrying bulk plastic pellets. That strange thing they found was actually the 29 Mexican nationals crammed into one compartment of a train car.

This led to the arrest of two people as they were trying to meet regarding an attempt to transport two Hondurans and an Indian national into the United States. One of them, Jesus Ortiz-Plata, 45, was identified as "Chuy," who was the same fixer who had been linked to the extremely dangerous smuggling scheme using trains.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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