Human Smuggling Deaths Highlight Texas Border Dangers
Six dead in Laredo rail yard - with more feared to come
The bodies of six people, believed to be from Mexico and Honduras, were discovered Sunday in a railcar that arrived in Laredo, Texas. Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern told Laredo's KGNS-TV that an autopsy of the lone woman among the group showed that she died of hyperthermia (heat stroke). Autopsies had not been completed on the five men at the time she spoke to KGNS, but it is suspected they died of similar causes.
The high temperature in Laredo was 90 degrees on Sunday, and temperatures inside a closed metal railcar can exceed 100 degrees under those conditions.
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This is a tragedy that law enforcement officers and first responders have seen in this part of Texas before.
Three years ago, an illegal alien dialed 911 requesting medical aid for fifteen people in distress aboard a freight train north of Laredo. Border Patrol Agents who stopped the train had to cut their way into a locked shipping container to reach the group. Two were already dead, and five were in critical condition.
Despite the dangers, cartel human smugglers regularly lock groups of people into northbound railcars, without water or regard for their safety.
In 2024, Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents discovered 23 illegal aliens locked inside northbound railcars in Cotulla, Texas. Once again, the group had no way to escape. Fortunately, none of them were found to need medical treatment after the officers cut their way inside and freed them.
Incredibly, just three days later, Cotulla Border Patrol Agents found another 20 illegal aliens locked aboard another northbound Union Pacific Train. Thankfully, none needed emergency medical assistance and were taken into custody.
Authorities along the Southwest Border with Mexico have been fearing a deadly tragedy like the one that just occurred in Laredo for several days now due to recent warning signs that something like this was overdue to occur.
Border Patrol Agents have had to go into “rescue” mode more often as temperatures rose across extremely remote, rugged, and unforgiving terrain.
Recent calls for help have occurred in areas such as the Big Bend National Park where a Border Patrol Paramedic aboard a helicopter performed life-saving treatment to evacuate a hiker overcome by extreme heat.
US Customs and Border Protection Officers in Arizona report similar stories:
Air Crews and Paramedics from the Tucson and Yuma Sectors have been responding to a growing number of 911 calls to rescue hikers in trouble in dangerously hot conditions there in recent days.
Then there are the 911 calls to assist illegal aliens in trouble as temperatures rise and Spring heads toward Summer:
A Sheriff’s deputy eventually located them about 50 miles north of the border and determined they were not in medical distress before turning them over to Border Patrol Agents.
The photo above shows how little shade is available along this part of the border. Anyone on foot there, without water, in full sun on a hot day, who is unfamiliar with the area can quickly find themselves in a life-threatening situation.
And, even paying a cartel “smuggling guide” who knows the area thousands of dollars is no guarantee of safety.
The photos above show Border Patrol medics treating an illegal alien who was abandoned in the Arizona desert last week by his “smuggling guide.”
The cartel human smuggling guides are known to be ruthless, and those who can’t keep up with them are often left to fend for themselves without water or shelter.
But even seasoned Border Patrol Agents can be shocked at how little they value human lives:
When she could not keep up with her group, her "guide" left the child behind.
Fortunately, agents found her in time to provide life-saving treatment.
Are you surprised to learn that cartel human smugglers are abandoning children to the elements or locking adults in railcars in which temperatures exceed 100 degrees?
Share your thoughts in the comments to this story!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
