Authorities revealed Thursday that six individuals discovered deceased inside a shipping container at a Texas rail yard were victims of a human trafficking operation, with the group including a teenage boy just 14 years old.
The victims, who originated from Honduras and Mexico, were found Sunday at a rail facility in Laredo, Texas, located close to the Mexican border, according to police who provided additional information about the tragic discovery.
“They did not pass away in our city, but they were discovered here after hours of suffering,” Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño said at a news conference. “We are demanding justice for these lives lost. It doesn’t matter where they came from.”
A Union Pacific worker made the grim discovery of the bodies. Officials from the Webb County medical examiner’s office believe hyperthermia, commonly known as heat stroke, caused the deaths, a determination echoed by the mayor.
According to Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez Jr., the victims were placed inside the container on Saturday while the train was in Del Rio, Texas, occurring two days following the train’s departure from Long Beach, California.
The police chief explained that the train made stops in the San Antonio region before reaching Laredo on Sunday. The city serves as a major trade hub along the U.S.-Mexico border and frequently sees illegal human trafficking activities.
“We did not know what we had at the beginning. We did not know that it was a human smuggling situation,” Rodriguez said. Asked about the route taken, the chief said it was a federal investigation and that he would not be releasing further details.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar indicated Monday that he suspected the death of a 49-year-old Mexican man discovered in the area was linked to the same train. Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, sits approximately 150 miles north of Laredo.
Last year, two human traffickers received life sentences for orchestrating the deadliest smuggling incident in U.S. history along the Mexican border. They were found guilty in connection with 53 migrant deaths inside an overheated truck trailer in Texas during 2022.
Train-based smuggling across the border has remained a persistent problem, largely because trains heading into the United States frequently reduce speed or halt completely in Mexico before crossing. This situation provides opportunities for traffickers or migrants to board trains or conceal drugs and other illegal items before entering American territory.
Border crossings decreased during the final period of the Biden administration and hit historic lows under the second Trump administration. Statistics from the agency show that Border Patrol agents in Laredo encountered approximately 40 individuals daily attempting illegal crossings in March, ranking it as the third most active sector among the nine border regions with Mexico.
