“ It is justice ” – Long sentences transmitted in a deadliest human smuggling incident in the history of the modern United States

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Friday, two men sentenced in March for the death of 53 immigrants, including six children, were sentenced to the Federal Court of San Antonio.

Friday marked three years since immigrants were left in a suffocating semi-trailer on the southwest side of San Antonio. It was the deadliest human smuggling incident in the history of the modern United States.

American district judge Orlando Garcia sentenced Felipe Orduña-Torres to two perpetuity sentences and Armando Gonzales-Tortega at more than 80 years in prison. Orduña-Torres was described by prosecutors as the leader of the smuggling operation and Gonzales-Oorta was his assistant.

“This was an important step in this case, these individuals actually leaving for the rest of their lives. It is justice in this case,” said Justin Simmons, American lawyer for the western district of Texas.

“Although today’s sentences never fully fill the void that these men have cut in the hearts of the families of these victims, I hope that it will help them at least a little with the healing process,” said Simmons. “I hope they can find comfort, in the end, in the fact that these men will never breathe the open air again.”

Several other men linked to the case pleaded guilty to crime charges.

“Know that the US government will work to keep everyone responsible for the death of these 53 people to be reported, and we will do our best to make sure that tragedies like this do not happen again,” said Simmons.

He added that the pursuit of this case included a “whole government” approach over several years to fight against Mexican drug cartels that take advantage of human smuggling.

The American lawyer’s office estimates that the smuggling unit responsible for these deaths has exceeded 1,100 people through the border between November 2021 and June 2022, invoicing $ 12,000 per person and earning more than $ 13 million in revenues during this period.

“So, my message to those who are south of the border and who can consider being in a similar way to that, the cartels do not care about you. They do not care about your hopes and your dreams. They do not care about your desire for a better life. They care about money,” he said.

Dozens of men, women and children from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and other nations were found trapped in the tractor-trailer on Quintana Road on June 27, 2022.

San Antonio police chief William McManus said at the time that a worker in a neighboring establishment heard a person crying to get help and found the trailer with many dead inside.

San Antonio firefighters, Charles Hood, said they were hot to the touch and suffering from thermal exhaustion. “No sign of water in the vehicle was a refrigerated semi-trailer, but there was no alternating current unit visible on this platform,” he added. Temperatures in San Antonio at the time regularly exceeded 100 degrees.

San Antonio has seen attempts to smuggiate migrants several times in the past decade, but it has been particularly blatant, said San Antonio’s immigration lawyer Jonathan Ryan.

“There remains the biggest event of this type of victim in Texas and potentially in the United States-that is to say in terms of those who have been discovered,” said Ryan.

The case has shown a vast international human smuggling network crossing several countries.

“We are going to see in next summer, probably more incidents like this,” added Ryan, “while people undertake more and more dangerous ways to enter the United States.”

After the verdict in March, the federal prosecutor Erich Fuchs showed images from the inside of the tractor of suffocation of the tractor, showing marks of claw: “Marks of claw from the moment they clawed desperately on the sides trying to go out.

Homero Zamorano, the driver, abandoned migrants – 66 in total. Zamorano pleaded guilty to a conspiracy leader to transport foreigners. He risks for life and is also planned for the conviction.

In March, the jury deliberated for two and a half hours before returning the guilt verdicts. The men were found guilty of three federal counts each: the plot to transport foreigners leading to death or causing serious bodily injuries by putting lives in danger; Transport of an illegal foreigner leading to death; And the transport of illegal foreigners resulting in serious bodily injuries and putting lives in danger.

A Memorial of painted crosses was erected alongside Quintana Road to remember the 53 lost lives, alongside a mural that listed the names of the victims.

Since the incident, dozens of additional people have been found trapped in similar predicates – semi -trailers, train cars or other vehicles – and almost all also dealing with serious and potentially fatal heat.