US government indicts Guatemalan suspect on smuggling charges over deaths of 53 migrants in trailer
U.S. authorities have announced the indictment of a Guatemalan suspect who they say helped coordinate a human smuggling effort that ended with 53 migrants dead in a sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio
A suspect arrested in Guatemala has been charged with helping coordinate the 2022 smuggling attempt that ended in the deaths of 53 migrants in Texas, the Justice Department announced Thursday, marking what U.S. officials called a significant expansion of their investigation into the horrific discovery inside an abandoned tractor-trailer on a back road.
U.S. authorities they will seek the extradition of Rigoberto Román Miranda Orozco, who is charged with six counts of migrant smuggling resulting in death or serious injury in the deadliest human smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities alleged he can be connected to four Guatemalan migrants in the trailer, three of whom died, and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
“We will pursue you, whether you are hiding in the United States or you’re hiding elsewhere,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza said at a news conference in San Antonio.
Miranda Orozco, 47, is the first person arrested outside of the country to face charges in the U.S. in connection with the investigation. Esparza said seven people have been arrested in the U.S. Guatemalan officials announced the arrests of Miranda Orozco and six more people accused of helping smuggle the migrants Wednesday. Of those, only Miranda Orozco faces extradition to the U.S. and the others will be tried in Guatemala, Esparza said.
