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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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Border patrol officers in Texas rescued nearly two dozen migrants who were trapped inside a train that came across the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday.
The migrants were found inside a locked compartment during a routine check by Customs and Border Protection in the Laredo Sector.
Temperatures were close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, although none of those on board needed medical treatment.
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The Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran nationals were all processed according to their immigration status, CBP said.
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CBP officers working their regular duties in Cotulla, Texas, checked the train at around 7 a.m. and discovered the undocumented migrants.
"During their routine duties – and with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees yesterday – Border Patrol agents rescued 23 migrants from a locked train compartment who were put in a life-threatening situation by callous human smuggling organizations who prioritize profit over all else. CBP's message for anyone who is thinking of entering the United States unlawfully remains simple: don't do it," Laredo Sector Chief, Jesse D. Munoz, said in a press release.
CBP said all 23 migrants were found to be in good health, despite not having a means to escape and the extreme heat.
Officers in the Laredo sector have recorded around 22,275 encounters with illegal immigrants since October 2023.
The majority – at least 15,000 – were single adults, with around 2,500 unaccompanied children. CBP recorded mainly Mexicans making the crossing, along with those from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Year-over-year, there has been a 36.6% decrease in encounters in Laredo.
Tuesday's incident is the latest involving those being sent across the border by smugglers who tell migrants that the border is open, CBP said.
Border patrol has repeatedly warned about the dangers of avoiding official crossing points, with reports of people who use different routes dying in the desert. Around 46 have died so far in 2024, with three in Arizona at the end of June.
ICE says that human trafficking at the border is a daily occurrence, with people placed in cars, boats, tractor-trailers and other vehicles to get into the U.S., often paying smugglers large sums of money to do so.
Earlier this month, a Mexican national found guilty of people smuggling was sentenced to 10 years in jail, with a jury deciding he had put lives at risk.
Local law enforcement has also described seizing vehicles used to smuggle migrants across the border, with one sheriff explaining this week that he believes smugglers are switching up their tactics to try and avoid detection.
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