The suspected driver of a truck in Texas in which dozens of dead migrants were found, was unaware that the air conditioning in the cargo space was broken. That’s what a helper of the man said to an informant from the American immigration service ICE.
The info can be read in federal court papers. According to the co-defendant, who was also arrested, the driver’s ignorance was the reason that the people died. The two are said to have sent each other several text messages about this before and after the discovery of the dead migrants.
According to authorities, Homero Zamorano was found on Monday trying to hide in bushes near the truck. He allegedly tried to pose as one of the survivors. However, Zamorano was arrested after CCTV footage showed him driving the truck past a U.S. Customs checkpoint in the southwestern Texas border town of Laredo.
Capital punishment
The suspected driver and his helper are both suspected of human smuggling and conspiracy and face the death penalty in Texas. In addition to Zamorano and his accomplice, two others have been arrested. It concerns two men of Mexican nationality. They were arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of firearms and illegal residence in the United States.
The 53 migrants who died are all from Central American countries. They were discovered by the US Immigration Service on the outskirts of the South Texas city of San Antonio, about 250 kilometers from the Mexican border. The outside temperature at that time was 39.4 degrees Celsius. It is the deadliest human trafficking incident in US history. Several children are still being treated in hospital.