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A Texas man has been charged with trying to smuggle more than 100 illegal immigrants into the United States in a locked tractor-trailer.
Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, was charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens within the United States and transporting illegal aliens within the United States for financial gain, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is facing charges. Southern District of Texas on Monday.
Aguirre, a resident of Laredo, South Texas, was seen by law enforcement on December 2nd loading a large group of migrants into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot. After leaving, authorities conducted a traffic stop on the white truck. They are said to have found a tractor-trailer packed with 101 illegal immigrants, including 12 unaccompanied children.
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Trucks cross the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, June 10, 2019. (Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Two of the migrants reported having difficulty breathing and fearing for their lives due to conditions inside the trailer, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Mr. Aguirre faces up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines on each of the three charges.
The number of people sentenced for alien smuggling in the United States has steadily increased under the Biden administration, reaching 4,731 in fiscal year 2023, according to the latest data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
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The top five human smuggling areas are all along the southern border. Texas occupies more than 60% of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the top two regions for human smuggling were both in Texas.
In 2023, there were 64,124 foreign smuggling crimes reported. Approximately 10% of alien smuggling cases involve unaccompanied minors.
In October, local news source KGNS reported an alarming increase in human smuggling cases in Laredo, resulting in high-risk vehicle pursuits and other dangerous situations.
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The Rio Grande River seen from Laredo, Texas on September 19, 2020. (Reuters/Veronica G. Cardenas)
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Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched a new billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America warning potential illegal immigrants of the dangers of attempting to enter the country illegally.
“We’re here to expose the truth to migrants who are thinking of coming here, and the truth to the traffickers who prey on so many women and children along the way.” Ta. “The message is: don’t take a dangerous trip just to get arrested and deported.”
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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