Man arrested after trying to smuggle more than 100 illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a trailer
A Texas man is accused of trying to smuggle more than 100 illegal immigrants into the United States in a locked trailer.
Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, faces three charges of conspiring to transport an undocumented alien within the United States, and conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien within the United States, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Transportation of an undocumented alien within the United States for financial gain.
On December 2, law enforcement discovered Aguirre, a resident of the southern Texas city of Laredo, loading a large group of immigrants into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot. The truck conducted a traffic stop.
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Trucks drive across the World Trade Center International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, on June 10, 2019. (Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Two of the migrants reported having trouble breathing and fearing for their lives due to conditions inside the trailer, the Justice Department statement said.
Aguirre faces 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the three counts.
Under the Biden administration, the number of people sentenced for alien smuggling in the United States has steadily increased, reaching 4,731 in fiscal year 2023, according to the latest data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
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Migrants are arrested near the border wall in New Mexico on April 12, 2024. (Fox News)
The top five areas for human trafficking are all along the southern border. Since Texas accounts for more than 60% of the border area between the United States and Mexico, the top two areas for human smuggling are both in Texas.
In 2023, a total of 64,124 criminal cases of foreign smuggling were reported.
In October, local news source KGNS reported an increase in human smuggling incidents in Laredo, leading to high-risk vehicle pursuits and other dangerous situations.
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The Rio Grande River is seen from Laredo, Texas on September 19, 2020. (Reuters/Veronica G. Cardenas)
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Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched a new billboard advertising campaign in Mexico and Central America to warn would-be illegal immigrants of the dangers of trying to enter the United States illegally.
“We are here to expose the truth to migrants who are considering coming here, and to expose the truth about the many women and children that traffickers are targeting along the way,” the governor said. “The message is: Don’t risk a dangerous trip just to get arrested. and deportation.”
