Two men were sentenced on Friday for their roles in the deaths of 53 undocumented migrants, six of whom were children, in what prosecutors said was one of the deadliest migrant smuggling cases in recent years along the country’s southern border.
The defendants, Armando Gonzales-Ortega, 55, and Felipe Orduna-Torres, 30, were found guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in March of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants resulting in death and related charges.
Mr. Orduna-Torres was sentenced on Friday to life in prison and Mr. Gonzales-Ortega was sentenced to 83 years in prison.
Three years ago to the day — June 27, 2022 — a worker for a paving company followed the sounds of screaming along a road on the outskirts of San Antonio and found a trailer full of migrants, many of whom were lifeless and some gasping for air.
The tractor-trailer was abandoned in a debris-filled area between train tracks and salvage yards on a day when the temperature reached more than 100 degrees.
The trailer did not have air-conditioning and migrants tried to claw their way out. Those who died were “essentially cooking alive,” prosecutors said. Eleven people survived.
The driver of the tractor-trailer knew that the air-conditioning was not working, according to court documents.
The driver called another man in the smuggling enterprise, who called Mr. Orduna-Torres about the malfunctioning air-conditioning, prosecutors said. It was likely that Mr. Orduna-Torres knew those inside were screaming for help, according to court records.
Smuggling migrants in tractor-trailers is not uncommon, Chief William McManus of the San Antonio Police Department said shortly after the deaths.
“It is inherently dangerous because once you’re locked in there, you’re stuck,” he said. “Once the refrigeration goes out, the air-conditioning goes out, it’s nothing but a death trap.”
For Mr. Orduna-Torres and Mr. Gonzales-Ortega, the tractor-trailer episode wasn’t a one-time event. They regularly smuggled people into the country illegally, generally charging migrants or their families $15,000 to $12,000, according to court documents.
Prosecutors described Mr. Orduna-Torres as the leader of a smuggling organization that transported more than 1,000 migrants into the United States, according to court records.
He found drivers, decided when to move the migrants into the trailers and then organized the trips north, prosecutors said. He also directly communicated with migrants, directing them through Mexico and connecting them with guides to cross into the United States, according to court records.
He maintained homes where the migrants were held during their trips, prosecutors said.
The conditions in these homes were often dire, with one survivor testifying that one home had 40 people and no beds, according to court documents. The migrants were locked inside with inadequate food and water.
Mr. Gonzales-Ortega was Mr. Orduna-Torres’s most trusted coordinator, prosecutors said. Once the trailer was loaded and moving, Mr. Gonzales-Ortega would alert Mr. Orduna-Torres.
Mr. Gonzales-Ortega would then follow the tractor-trailer through the border checkpoint to ensure it crossed safely. He was the only member of the smuggling operation who was a legal U.S. resident, which allowed him to follow the trailers more easily, prosecutors said.
The organization used refrigerated trailers meant for perishable goods, which often lacked outside ventilation, prosecutors said.
The smuggling enterprise transported migrants in tractor-trailers at least 17 times in the eight months leading up to the fatal smuggling case, including a group of 107, prosecutors said in court records.
In court papers, Edgardo Báez, a lawyer for Mr. Orduna-Torres and Mr. Gonzales-Ortega, said that the pair had “a misguided belief they were providing an opportunity for a better life.”
Eight people have been arrested in connection with the human smuggling enterprise.
Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 48, is set to go to trial in September. Five others have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in November and December, prosecutors said.
Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories.
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