63 U.S.-Bound Migrants Found in Tractor-Trailer by Mexican Immigration Officers

Federal immigration authorities in Mexico discovered 63 migrants concealed inside a tractor-trailer at a military checkpoint just 30 miles from El Paso, Texas. The migrants were discovered on Friday during joint enforcement operations involving the military and Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM).

According to INM, the migrants were being transported in dangerously cramped, high-temperature conditions. Three unaccompanied migrants were among the group discovered in the tractor-trailer. Most of the migrants were citizens of several South and Central American countries. According to INM, 18 migrants were citizens of Guatemala, 23 were citizens of Ecuador, six were from El Salvador, five were from Honduras, and two were from the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic.

No information was released concerning the arrest or charges facing the vehicle driver involved in Friday’s event. Single adult migrants were transported to migrant facilities for processing. According to INM, the unaccompanied migrant children were taken to a shelter specifically for migrant children.

The military checkpoint in Sumalayuca is the last checkpoint travelers pass through on Mexico’s Highway 45 before reaching the border city of Juarez, Chihuahua. The checkpoint is in the arid sand dunes of the Chihuahuan desert and is an obstacle that migrants must walk around to avoid detection or hope to pass through while concealed within vehicles. In recent weeks, attempts to walk around have proved deadly.

In early June, an El Salvador migrant perished while attempting to avoid detection by INM Officers posted at the checkpoint. The woman, according to a report in Mexico, was accompanied by two cousins who reported the death using Mexico’s 911 system. Officers were dispatched from the checkpoint and discovered the lifeless migrant who had succumbed to the harsh temperatures in the region, which can reach more than 100 degrees during the summer months.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.