Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector Border Patrol Agents discovered this week 60 illegal aliens attempting to cross the border in a produce trailer that reached a temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a canine unit alerted agents about the truck, it was referred to secondary inspection. Customs and Border Patrol agents then discovered the illegal aliens lying on pallets of broccoli covered in a thin sheet of ice. The door to the trailer was locked with a padlock, and the people inside had no means of escape.
The group consisted of 22 Guatemalans, 17 Mexicans, 13 Salvadorans, and eight Hondurans.
The aliens were offered medical attention but declined and were then transported to the Falfurrias Border Patrol Station and processed accordingly.
The driver, a Guatemalan national, was arrested and is pending federal charges for alien smuggling.
“Criminal activity like this will also lead to serious consequences for truck drivers who engage in smuggling,” RGV Sector Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. said.