Guatemalan man charged in deaths of migrants left to die in tractor trailer in Texas in 2022

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A Guatemalan man has been charged in the most deadly smuggling incident in the United States in which 53 migrants were found dead in a big-rig trailer in 2022 in Texas, the Justice Department announced Thursday in San Antonio.

U.S. authorities are planning to extradite Rigoberto Roman Miranda Orozco, 47, who was indicted in the Western District of Texas in connection with the tractor trailer deaths that included 21 Guatemalans. Six others also were arrested as part of the operation and will be charged in Guatemala. In all, 14 people have been arrested for their roles.

Miranda-Orozco is charged with six counts in death or serious bodily injury. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On Wednesday, Guatemalan law enforcement worked with U.S. agents in multiple search and arrest warrants across Guatemala.

"Over the past two years, the Justice Department has worked methodically to hold accountable those responsible for the horrific tragedy in San Antonio that killed 53 people who had been preyed on by human smugglers," Attorney General Garland said in a news release . "We are committed to continuing to work with our partners both in the United States and abroad to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia and Panama."

One year before the incident, on June 1, 2021, Garland created Joint Task Force Alpha in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen U.S. enforcement efforts against human smuggling emanating from Central America.

In the mass migrant deaths in June 2022, the bodies were found in San Antonio in the back of a tractor trailer in which the air conditioning was broken and there was no water, according to prosecutors.

"Today's arrests in Guatemala are a continued fulfillment of that pledge," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. "We will not rest in our efforts to disrupt the smuggling networks that capitalize on desperation and foster misery throughout the Western Hemisphere."

Migrants, or their families and friends, were charged approximately $12,000 to $15,000 for the journey, according to the indictment.

Three of the migrants cited in the announcement died in the tractor-trailer, and the fourth suffered serious bodily injury.

The human smuggling organization is accused of loading 65 migrants into a tractor-trailer. With the rise of the temperature, some migrants inside the trailer allegedly lost consciousness, while others clawed at the walls, trying to escape.

By the time the tractor-trailer reached San Antonio, 48 migrants had already died. Another five migrants died after being transported to local hospitals.

The dead included six children and a pregnant woman.

In January , a Mexican national, Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, 31, pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle the migrants. He admitted to accompanying the loaded tractor-trailer, before it was abandoned in San Antonio. He was charged for the incident on June 27, 2023, the one- year anniversary of the tragedy.

Christian Martinez, 29, of Texas pleaded guilty in September for his involvement with four other suspects, including Homero Zamorano Jr., the 47-year-old driver of the tractor.

"Smugglers prey on migrants and seek profits with complete disregard for human life, as we saw in this tragic incident that killed 53 people," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said. "The men and women at Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection work every day to disrupt these sophisticated smuggling networks, and we will continue to work alongside our federal and international partners to dismantle them at every level of operation."