The driver of a tractor-trailer found at a Texas Walmart with eight bodies and dozens of other undocumented migrants says he was unaware of the cargo until he took a rest stop.
Officers escort James Bradley Jr, 60, at the federal courthouse in San Antonio, Texas. Photo: AFP
James Bradley Jr, 60, was arrested on Sunday after the discovery of the truck and has been accused of smuggling at least 100 illegal immigrants.
When truck was found, there were eight bodies and 30 to 40 undocumented Mexican and Guatemalan nationals.
One of the survivors later told investigators some immigrants managed to flee the scene before police arrived, swarming out of the truck when the rear doors opened to be whisked away by six black sport utility vehicles waiting for them nearby.
Many of them, some as young as 15, were suffering from dehydration and heat stroke when discovered and two later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 10.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Thomas Homan said 29 remained in hospital on Monday.
Mr Bradley, from Clearwater, Florida, made a brief appearance in federal court on Monday in San Antonio charged with one count of transporting illegal immigrants. He could face capital punishment if convicted.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said video footage showed several other vehicles coming to pick up people who were inside the truck.
Mr Bradley, according to court documents unsealed on Monday, denied seeing any such vehicles.
Two of the survivors, according to the criminal complaint, recounted having been smuggled in small groups of immigrants across the Rio Grande River from Mexico to Texas.
The Walmart parking lot in San Antonio, Texas, where a truck was found with eight bodies and dozens of others suffering dehydration and heat stroke. Photo: AFP
They were harbored in "stash" houses around the border town of Laredo before being rounded up into the tractor-trailer for the trip to San Antonio, about 240km to the north.
Describing unbearable conditions inside the crowded, pitch-black interior of the truck without water or proper ventilation, one survivor recalled people taking turns to gasp for fresh air through a hole in the trailer's side.
Some passed out, while others shouted and pounded on the walls of the truck to get the driver to stop. Their pleas went unanswered until arriving at the Walmart, according to the account.
One survivor said 70 people were already inside when he got on, while another estimated the total at roughly 180 to 200 people. One said they were told they would have to pay smugglers $US5500 after arriving in San Antonio.
Mr Bradley told investigators he did not know anyone was inside the truck until he parked near the store to use the bathroom and heard banging and shaking coming from the back, according to the criminal complaint.
When the driver opened the back doors of the trailer, he noticed "bodies just lying on the floor like meat," according to the interview summary. Some 30 or 40 people got out and "scattered," Mr Bradley told investigators.
Mexico's government said its consul general in San Antonio was working to identify the victims' nationalities. The Guatemalan government confirmed that some of the victims were from Guatemala.
Since 1998, the total number of documented deaths from crossing the Mexico-US border stands at more than 7000, with peaks in 2005 and 2012, according the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In what is considered the worst illegal immigrant smuggling case in US history, 19 people died after traveling in an 18-wheeler truck through Victoria, Texas, in 2003.
- Reuters