A truck driver from Texas was charged 53 migrants died The man behind the wheel of a speeding tractor-trailer with no air conditioning pleaded guilty Thursday to the 2022 tragedy that became the country's deadliest smuggling attempt at the US-Mexico border.
Homero Zamorano Jr.who lived in Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, serious bodily injury and endangerment of life; one count of transportation of aliens resulting in death; and one count of transportation of aliens resulting in serious bodily injury or endangerment of life. The Justice Department announced that the 48-year-old man faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Zamorano's attorney, Mark Stevens, said in an email that he was unable to comment on a pending case. Zamorano will be sentenced on April 24.
Authorities say Zamorano, who was driving the truck, and others accused In the smuggling effort they knew the trailer's air conditioning unit was malfunctioning and would not provide cool air to the migrants trapped inside during the three-hour journey from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio.
Temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, investigators said, while migrants were screaming and banging on the walls of the trailer for help or trying to get out.
According to Mexican officials, the truck was carrying 67 people and the dead included 27 from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador. Prosecutors have said the migrants paid up to $15,000 each to get across the U.S. border.
The incident occurred on June 27, 2022, on a remote San Antonio back road. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, police officers took Zamorano into custody after finding him hiding in nearby woods. A search of Zamorano's cellphone revealed trafficking-related calls.
Eric Gay/AP
According to the indictment, the description of the driver in surveillance video of an 18-wheeler passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint matched Zamorano's description.
Christian MartĂnez, a Texas man previously charged in the tragedy, was arrested shortly after the migrants were found with Zamorano. MartĂnez has since pleaded guilty to trafficking-related charges.
Four Mexican nationals were also arrested in this case in 2023. And in August, A suspect arrested in Guatemala Was accused of helping coordinate the smuggling effort. US officials said they would seek the extradition of Rigoberto Roman Miranda Orozco, who is charged with six counts of migrant smuggling resulting in death or serious injury. Authorities alleged he was linked to four Guatemalan migrants in the trailer, three of whom died, and he could face life in prison if convicted.