FOUR men were charged over the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, authorities said yesterday.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as Homero Zamorano Jr, 45, was charged yesterday with human smuggling resulting in death, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Local media reported he has a lengthy criminal record dating back to the 1990s.

Christian Martinez, 28, who was arrested on Tuesday in Palestine, Texas, was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants resulting in death, the DOJ said.

An investigation revealed that communications occurred between Zamorano and Martinez concerning the smuggling, according to the release.

If convicted, Zamorano and Martinez could face up to life in prison or the death penalty, CNN reported.

On Tuesday, Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, both Mexican citizens, were charged with possessing firearms while residing in the United States illegally, according to court documents and US authorities. Police arrested them on Monday at an address in San Antonio listed on the tractor-trailer’s registration.

Craig Larrabee, Homeland Security Investigations acting special agent in charge in San Antonio, described the human-smuggling event as “the worst” in the US.

The tractor-trailer with a fake plate was carrying 67 migrants when it was found on Monday, Francisco Garduno Yanez, head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute, said at a press conference yesterday.

There was no sign of water in the refrigerated tractor-trailer and no visible working air conditioning unit, according to San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood. Those found alive were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion.

Temperatures in San Antonio climbed to 38.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, while the heat in the packed trailer was likely way higher than that, according to the US National Weather Service.

“It’s unspeakable,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on Tuesday. “It’s a tragedy beyond explanation.” – Bernama, June 30, 2022.