San Antonio Police Chief and City Officials Seem to Promote and Protect Human Trafficking According to Police Union and an Investigation by Texas Attorney General’s Office
U.S. authorities have announced the arrest of four individuals in connection with a human smuggling operation that resulted in the tragic deaths of 53 migrants, including eight children, who were left in a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas last year.
The arrests were made on the anniversary of the incident, highlighting the smuggling friendly operations of San Antonio city officials, including the police chief.
There have been multiple accounts of city and police officials, working in concert with “charitable” NGOs to promote illegal smuggling in San Antonio.
In last year’s case, four Mexican nationals played a planning role in the smuggling operation and were aware of the malfunctioning air-conditioning unit in the trailer, which led to the deaths of the trapped migrants during the three-hour journey from Laredo to San Antonio.
When the trailer was opened in San Antonio, 48 migrants were already deceased, and another 16 were taken to hospitals, where five more lost their lives.
This incident marked the deadliest tragedy involving migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. San Antonio police officers were infuriated that their leadership’s continued promotion of human smuggling end in an inevitable record breaking tragedy.
The driver and another individual were arrested shortly after the discovery of the migrants, and they were charged with smuggling resulting in death and conspiracy.
On Monday, four additional arrests were made in Houston, San Antonio, and Marshall, Texas. Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, Felipe Orduna-Torres, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega were charged with conspiracy to transport immigrants resulting in death, serious bodily injury, and placing lives in jeopardy. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
According to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed on Tuesday, the smuggling operation involved a network of smugglers from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
These individuals collaborated to consolidate costs, spread out risk, and operate more profitably. The migrants paid up to $15,000 each to be transported across the U.S. border, with the fee covering up to three attempts to enter the country.
The smugglers provided the migrants with a code word to use at various checkpoints to indicate they were paying customers. The indictment revealed that the four arrested individuals exchanged the names of migrants who would be smuggled in the truck, coordinated the trip, and communicated about the truck’s progress on the journey to San Antonio.
Survivors of the tragedy shared harrowing accounts of the journey, with one individual mentioning that the truck was already hot when it left Laredo, and the trapped migrants soon began crying and pleading for water.
Some resorted to breathing through a single hole in the wall, while others pounded on the walls in an attempt to get the driver’s attention.
Surveillance video captured the 18-wheeler passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint, and one survivor revealed that the smugglers had covered the trailer’s floor with powdered chicken bouillon to deceive any dogs at the checkpoint.
A climate and health expert estimated that temperatures inside the trailer could have reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51 Celsius) or higher within an hour.
The arrests of these four individuals shed light on the heartless nature of human smuggling operations, where profit takes precedence over the lives and well-being of migrants seeking a better life.
The ongoing investigation aims to hold all those involved accountable for their actions and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The deaths of the people were not a surprise to citizens, including rank and file members of the San Antonio Police Department.
In one of the most tragic cases, a July 23, 2017 incident brought negative national attention to SAPD Chief Bill McManus when eight people were found dead and 30 injured inside a semitrailer overnight in a Walmart parking lot on San Antonio’s south side.
While officers and emergency responders were concerned about SUVs and vans took some of the illegal aliens away in an organized escape, McManus nonchalantly blew it off.
U.S. Homeland Security officers were startled when McManus told the media, “It happens all the time.”
A press release from the San Antonio Police Officers Association explained what occurred at a December 2017 debacle:
“On that night, in possible violation of established procedures and State and Federal law pertaining to suspected human smuggling and trafficking cases, the Chief released twelve undocumented immigrants into the City of San Antonio without properly and thoroughly identifying them.”
“For several years now, San Antonio Police Officers have been well trained on how to handle and process human smuggling and trafficking cases. SAPD also works with Homeland Security through the Federal Joint Task Force to specifically target and arrest individuals involved in these crimes. On December 23, when twelve people were stopped and detained…When Chief McManus arrived unexpectedly on scene, in civilian clothing and with a lawyer from a non-profit organization, Officers briefed the Chief on the situation and their actions, which included notifying Homeland Security. The Chief immediately changed their orders: they were not to identify the individuals or check their immigration status (as Texas law allows local law enforcement to do) and they were not to involve Homeland Security (as per Joint Task Force procedures).”
“When an agent from Homeland Security did arrive, the Chief informed him that his assistance was not needed. After transporting the individuals to police headquarters, the Chief allowed the non-profit attorney complete access to them before ever allowing even one of the Special Victims Unit (SVU) detectives to speak to them. The Chief then stated that none of the detainees were to be processed through SAPD databases and ordered them released. At this point, SVU Supervisors were so shocked they requested the order be put in writing.”
“The twelve detainees were then escorted out of the back of police headquarters and released into the city. Afterwards, the Chief told the media that the case was based on a “fluid situation,” and that “it’s not necessarily how every case will be handled going forward.” SAPOA believes that the Chief’s actions were political, not in line with established State and Federal laws and procedures, and may have risked the safety of the community.”
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1. I hope that all the smugglers are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It is too bad that they cannot be put in a semi for 3 hours in the hot Texas sun.
2. I feel bad for the children since they had no choice. The adults should have known that putting your life in the hands of ruthless and evil people has a good chance of coming to a bad end.
3. The people must know and not care that they are not welcome or wanted if they have to pay 15,000 dollars to be smuggled into the country. If they were welcome or wanted, they could fly here for a fraction of that and enter like a normal person not an invader.
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Great points!
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