Texas Authorities Are Searching for 100 Illegal Immigrants Who Fled From a Refrigerated Truck

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Feb 19, 2021 10:46 PM EST

Texas authorities are conducting a manhunt for at least 100 illegal immigrants who fled from a refrigerated truck. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Thursday that his office received a call of illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S., Washington Examiner reported.

Officials believed that the call came from someone within the refrigerated truck packed with immigrants, as the caller said they were running out of air and needed help. But when deputies found the vehicle and made their approach, Salazar said the immigrants fled on foot and disappeared into a wooded area.

According to Salazar, the truck was located at a gas station in south Bexar County past 6 p.m., and law enforcement officers were still able to seize 50 people. But more than four dozen are still on the loose, Salazar said, adding that most of those captured were men. A CNN report said no children had been brought into custody.

Salazar expressed concern for those still eluding authorities since Texas, along with several other Southern states, has been ravaged by freezing weather that caused 3.8 million residents to lose power supply.

Some 264,000 people continue to live in areas where water was inaccessible after temperature fluctuations caused splintered pipes and above-ground leakage.

"It's subzero temperatures here, just about, and it's still snowing. And our concern is people are going to be very much exposed to the elements, and quite frankly, we're worried some of these people may be in distress very, very soon here," Salazar said in the report.

Salazar noted that most immigrants he saw were not wearing jackets, and most of them only wore t-shirts and jeans. He said they were probably going to be in trouble out there with the cold weather.

"So, we'd like to get these folks accounted for and get them into safety ASAP," Salazar said in a Texas Public Radio report.

Immigrants Being Smuggled

The smugglers created an "airtight enclosure" to avoid detection by sealing the inside of the truck with foam. The sheriff said those who were inside the vehicle could be in danger of suffocating.

The detained immigrants showed to be in good condition and believed to have traveled through Mexico from Guatemala and El Salvador. Officials noted that the smuggling suspects might be intermixed with the group's victims, and authorities were already trying to identify the suspects.

This was the second time in recent weeks that the Bexar County Sheriff's Office responded to a call from possible victims of human smuggling or trafficking.

Authorities searched for a white tanker truck accompanied by a black pickup on Feb. 10 following a disturbing call. The caller reported that at least 80 people were trapped inside the vehicle and desperate for oxygen.

Meanwhile, there were still unanswered questions about Biden's immigration policy changes, which includes how Central Americans who returned home will get back to the U.S.-Mexico border.

It was also unclear how long it will take to work through all the cases, with the oldest going first. There was also some confusion at the border.

On Friday, around 100 people gathered at the crossing in Tijuana, Mexico to get information about when they would be allowed into the U.S. while their cases wind through immigration courts, Associated Press reported.