Border Patrol Says Texas Crash Victims Were Illegal Immigrants
United States Border Patrol said Saturday that three out of seven the victims from a fatal crash at El Paso, Texas, were illegal immigrants, with all information gathered so far.
Seven out of ten people in a gray Chevrolet Cruze died from the crash, the remaining three injured, said El Paso police spokesperson Sgt. Robert Gomez, in a report from USA Today said.
Two of the victims were from Mexico while one was from Guatemala, getting smuggled into the U.S. The other four fatalities were of the 18-year-old male driver, two women, and another man-all from El Paso.
The incident happened around 2:15 a.m. on Thursday near the intersection of Paisano Drive and Coldwell Street when a sensor detected activity near Sunland Park in New Mexico.
This area is known for smuggling, and illegal immigration said a report from KTSM.
The activity, along with the information of multiple people boarding the vehicle, was reported to agents in the area.
The driver was said to have failed to navigate a curve in the road, crossed the center median, and crashed into a parked semi-trailer at high speed.
Agents also said the driver also ignored traffic signals and the Border Patrol unit that pursued them for a traffic stop.
Border Patrol said in their official statement that they were ordered to end the chase due to safety concerns. They claimed the pursuing agents turned off their lights, silenced their sirens, and lost sight of the vehicle.
El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chavez called the incident a tragic loss for the community. "Human smuggling is not a victimless crime," she said in a written statement.
Chavez also called the act of human smuggling "as lucrative as drug smuggling."
Immigrants' advocacy group Border Network for Human Rights director Fernando Garcia told El Paso Times he was devastated over the death of the individuals and sympathized with the families who lost their lives "in this terrible and avoidable incident."
He pointed out that the El Paso crash was not the only incident of death and injury because of "reckless persecution from the U.S. Border Patrol."
According to a report from FOX News, the investigation on the case is being led by El Paso Police, with CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility is doing a parallel study.
The investigation also involved the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
The agency said it would release more information regarding the crash and its victims as the investigations continue.
The car was torn in two, and its front was crushed had to be carried away by tow trucks. Due to this, the police are still awaiting confirmation on some of the victims.
Bodies were removed Thursday from the site on Thursday morning, and the road was closed down until about 11:45 a.m.
USA Today called the crash "the deadliest" in El Paso recently.
The El Paso crash was the second deadly vehicle-related accident involving Border Patrol and suspected human smuggling. Last January, the same spot in Paisano also fell witness to an incident wherein an Ecuadorian woman was killed when her suspected smuggler lost control of a vehicle.
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