SALTON CITY, Calif. (WHDH) — A Mexican man was arrested for smuggling 26 illegal immigrants into the United States last Wednesday.
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint in Salton City, California inspected a tractor-trailer around 9:40 p.m., when a canine team alerted them to the rear cargo area of the vehicle, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A further investigation reportedly revealed 26 undocumented immigrants inside the bed of the trailer.
“The undocumented immigrants were locked and trapped inside this tracker-trailer in below 45-degree weather with no safety restraints,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “This smuggling organization had no regard for the safety of the people they were smuggling. Fortunately, our agents were able to remove them from that potentially life-threatening situation.”
The 32-year-old driver presented a California driver’s license that he pretended to be his own, authorities said. They determined that he was a Mexican national illegally in the United States.
The driver and all 26 immigrants, including two juveniles, were placed under arrest.
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