Two men charged following the death of 53 migrants during an attempted human smuggling incident have been found guilty for their roles in the deadly event.
On Tuesday, March 18, a San Antonio jury returned guilty verdicts for Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega. The two were charged in connection to a 2022 human smuggling attempt that resulted in the deaths of 53 migrants – including six children and a pregnant woman – and injuries to 11 others.
Margaret Leachman, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said Orduna-Torres was the leader of the smuggling group within the U.S., and Gonzales-Ortega was his “right-hand man.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the tragedy ranks as the deadliest human smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to prosecutors, evidence showed the trailer’s refrigeration unit was not working properly, and the migrants were left with no water. On the day of the discovery, temperatures in the San Antonio area had reached 99 degrees.
“These defendants knew the air conditioning did not work,” Leachman said. “Nevertheless, they disregarded the danger.”
The two men face up to life in prison. Sentencing in the case is scheduled to take place on June 27.
Five other men previously pleaded guilty to felony charges for their roles in the fatal human smuggling incident.
The truck’s driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., was found hiding near the trailer. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Also pleading guilty are Christian Martinez, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, Riley Covarrubias-Ponce and Juan Francisco D’Luna Bilbao. All five will be sentenced later this year.
Leachman said one individual charged in the U.S. remains at large. Charges have also been brought against several others in Mexico and Guatemala.
In the days following the deadly incident, San Antonio residents erected a temporary memorial with 53 crosses to pay respect to the deceased. Two years later, a permanent memorial was completed at the site where the trailer was found. LL
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