Two years after the US migrant truck tragedy, a key suspect is arrested

On August 23 local time, according to the Associated Press, two years after the tragedy in which 53 migrants died in a sweltering trailer in Texas, a key suspect was arrested in Guatemala. US authorities have filed charges against him and are seeking extradition.

On June 27, 2022, a trailer truck carrying illegal immigrants was found on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas. There were nearly 100 people crammed inside the compartment. There was no water or air conditioning. The local temperature reached a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius. Eventually, 53 people died of sweltering heat. This became the worst migrant death incident in the United States so far. After years of investigation into this deadliest smuggling incident at the US-Mexico border, more than a dozen people have been arrested so far, and the operation has extended to Central America.

Guatemalan officials announced the arrest of seven people in the country who are accused of helping to smuggle migrants, including Orozco, the head of the smuggling operation who is considered to play a key role in the Texas "migrant truck" case. Guatemala's interior minister, Enrique Degenhart, said the arrests were made after 13 raids in three provinces. Police also seized vehicles and cash and rescued other migrants.

Guatemalan officials accuse illegal immigrant organizations of having sheltered and transferred hundreds of migrants to the United States over the years. These people are engaged in human smuggling activities in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico and share resources such as routes. Migrants need to pay up to $15,000 each to be taken across the border. Previously, two Texas drivers and four Mexicans had been arrested for the smuggling incident. The arrest of this key suspect shows the continuous efforts of the international community to combat illegal migrant smuggling.