At least 51 migrants were found dead after being confined in a hot tractor-trailer abandoned in Texas, according to police.
Two Mexican nationals have been accused in connection with the unparalleled human smuggling catastrophe, news reports said Wednesday.
According to court filings and U.S. authorities, Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, both Mexican nationals, have been charged with possessing guns while illegally residing in the United States.
The dead migrants, 39 men and 12 women, were discovered in an industrial area on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, approximately 250 kilometers north of the U.S.-Mexico border, on Tuesday.
According to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge with the investigative branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the incident marked the largest loss of life in the history of human trafficking attempts in the United States.
Local authorities reported discovering the trailer's rear door wide open, with "stacks of victims" inside, and others collapsed nearby. They said that some of the victims were warm to the touch.
Investigators traced the truck's registration to a San Antonio residence, where they set up surveillance, and arrested the two men individually when they were observed leaving the residence.
According to a Mexican official, a third suspect, a U.S. citizen described as the truck's driver, was also detained and was anticipated to be charged, but he remained ill as of Tuesday evening.
The truck was left parked alongside some railroad rails when temperatures reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius).
Local authorities reported that there was no evidence of water or air conditioning inside the truck.
In the midst of a labor shortage, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg stated on MSNBC, "It's incomprehensible" that his city relies on immigration. It is a catastrophe that defies description, he added.
In a statement released on Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden described the occurrence as "horrifying and tragic."
Since he assumed office in January 2021, Biden has vowed to crack down on multibillion-dollar illicit smuggling companies that have helped fuel a record number of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to officials from all three nations, at least 27 Mexicans, three Guatemalans, and four Hondurans were among the dead. There were no immediate details regarding the nationalities of the other victims.
