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3 arrested after 46 migrants found DEAD inside tractor-trailer in Texas as temps soar into triple digits

The victims reportedly died of suffocation, while the survivors suffered from dehydration and heat stroke

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: At least 46 migrants were found dead on Monday, June 27, inside a tractor-trailer on a Texas roadway. The bodies were found inside the 18-wheeler on Quintana Road in San Antonio. As many as 16 survivors were rushed to area hospitals in various conditions. Officials said that 12 of the survivors were adults and four were children.

“It’s probably close [to] 100 in the truck,” a law enforcement source told the San Antonio Express-News. They added that “about half” of the group was possibly dead. The people are believed to be undocumented migrants.

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KSAT-12 reported that the 18-wheeler was found next to a set of railroad tracks and a salvage yard. There was a heavy police presence in the area following the discovery of the bodies of the migrants. First responders were seen walking along the tracks with thermal imaging cameras, trying to look for more people in a nearby wooded area. San Antonio police officers are reportedly searching for the truck’s driver. The person is believed to have abandoned the vehicle before it was discovered, The New York Times has learned. 

San Antonio police Chief William McManus confirmed that three individuals were in custody. However, he added that it was not known if they were "absolutely connected to this or not". Although the victims' causes of death have not been confirmed, officials said that the survivors had suffered from dehydration and heat stroke. 

"The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," fire chief Charles Hood said in a press briefing. "No signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated trailer unit, but there was a visible working AC unit on that rig." On Monday, the temperature in San Antonio reached at least 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

A KSAT-12 reporter, Leigh Waldman, called the incident a "possible human smuggling case". "En route to a possible human smuggling case off of Quintana Rd on the South/Southeast side," Waldman wrote in a tweet. "We were just passed by this vehicle on the way to the scene," she added, posting a picture of a vehicle.

A spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection confirmed to the Times that federal agents arrived at the sight by Monday night. Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister, said in a tweet that the victims had reportedly suffocated in the trailer. Offering his condolences to them and their families, Ebrard said that Mexican consul general would arrive in the area. 

Texas Gov Greg Abbott turned the incident into a political war soon after the discovery of the bodies, blaming the deaths on President Joe Biden. "At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," Abbott tweeted.

Despite Abbott's criticism of Biden, his $3 billion border security effort has come under fire for failing to meet expectations. He was also widely criticized for complaining about the “burden” of educating undocumented migrant children in Texas.

2021 also saw several tragic migrant deaths. In December last year, as many as 55 migrants were found dead after a tractor trailer crammed with 200 people overturned after hitting a pedestrian bridge. In April last year, a van carrying 29 migrants crashed along a remote stretch of Texas highway. 10 people were killed in the incident. In another incident in March last year, 13 migrants were killed in an SUV carrying 25 people east of San Diego after a semitrailer truck slammed into it.