Arrests in fatal Texas smuggling attempt climb 2 years after 53 migrants died in tractor trailer
https://apnews.com/article/migrants-texas-guatemala-smuggling-d1a8047a6c76e6b810e471e769d48fa8
Arrests in fatal Texas smuggling attempt climb 2 years after 53 migrants died in tractor trailer
BY SONIA PÉREZ D. AND JIM VERTUNO
Updated 12:03 AM EDT, August 22, 2024
Arrests following the 2022 deaths of 53 migrants in Texas who were left in a sweltering tractor-trailer have climbed to more than a dozen, and now stretch to Central America, following years of investigations into the deadliest smuggling attempt from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Guatemalan officials announced the arrests of seven people accused of helping smuggle the migrants. They included the alleged ringleader of a smuggling operation whose extradition has been requested by the United States, Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez told The Associated Press.
The Justice Department was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday in San Antonio to discuss a significant arrest in the case but did not provide details.
Jiménez said the arrests were made possible after 13 raids in three of the countrys departments. Police also seized vehicles and cash and rescued other migrants during the operations, Guatemalan officials said in a statement.
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