More than 30 migrants were found near death by Border Patrol agents who discovered them in the back of a U-Haul.
Agents found the 33 migrants “close to perishing due to excessive heat” in the locked truck last Thursday near a McDonald’s in Van Horn, Texas, about 121 miles southeast of El Paso, KVIA reported this week.
The temperature outside was around 100 degrees that day, according to the outlet.
“Had our heroic agents not been able to free these trapped undocumented migrants, we could have seen 33 miserable deaths in this event,” said Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector Chief Sean McGoffin, according to the outlet.
Officials noted that everyone stuffed into the truck suffered a variation of a heat-related illness — whether that was dehydration or something more serious, KVIA reports.
While no one involved died, at least 12 of the migrants were hospitalized, according to the outlet.
McGoffin noted that smugglers always prioritize their earnings over the well-being of those they’re transporting.
“Smugglers do not care what type of misery they put people through as they take their money,” said the agent, according to KVIA.
The smugglers responsible have not yet been identified.
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