Texas woman arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal immigrants hidden inside box truck
A Texas woman was arrested on Wednesday after Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers discovered 25 illegal immigrants crammed into the back of a box truck, hidden behind mattresses and inside a crawlspace.
DPS said 43-year-old Silvia Patricia Santamaria, of Houston, was arrested and charged with 25 counts of human smuggling and has since been booked into the Live Oak County Jail.
Just after 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a concerned citizen approached a DPS trooper at a truck stop along Interstate 37 in George West, Texas, regarding a minor crash that happened in the parking lot.
When the trooper contacted the driver of a white 2005 International box truck involved in the crash, later identified as Santamaria, she allegedly told the law enforcement official she was driving to Houston after picking up mattresses in Alton, Texas.
17 Illegal Migrants Discovered Crammed In Rv, Sedan In Sweltering Arizona Heat
DPS said the trooper noticed inconsistencies in Santamaria's travel plans and asked for consent to search the truck.
Read On The Fox News App
With assistance from the George West Police Department, the trooper discovered 25 illegal immigrants inside a small corner of the box truck who were attempting to hide behind 30 mattresses and inside a crawl space within the truck's wall, DPS said.
DPS added that there was no ventilation inside the truck.
Alleged Human Smugglers Arrested In Texas After Hiding Migrants Inside Hollowed Hay Bales
The group of immigrants comprised of 12 males, 12 females and an 11-year-old child.
All the migrants were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, DPS said.
The illegal immigrants were removed from the truck and received medical evaluation before being referred to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Driver In Texas Migrant Smuggling Run That Led To The Deaths Of 53 People Pleads Guilty
In 2022, San Antonio officials discovered 51 dead immigrants inside an abandoned tractor trailer.
Officials said at the time they believed the truck was abandoned after it experienced mechanical problems.
A city worker discovered the trailer after hearing a cry from inside the trailer.
At least 46 migrants were found dead at the scene and more died in hospitals.Original article source: Texas woman arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal immigrants hidden inside box truck
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sen. Alex Padilla says he identified himself before he was tackled at Noem's news conference. Here's context
In June 2025, a claim circulated that U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, hadn't identified himself before interrupting Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to ask her a question at a news conference. As Noem was speaking about the confrontations between anti-ICE protesters and law enforcement in Los Angeles, Padilla tried to speak and was blocked, forced out of the room and handcuffed by federal agents. Democrats were outraged that a sitting U.S. senator would be forcibly removed from a public news conference. Noem later spoke on Fox News, saying Padilla had failed to identify himself before he approached her and that was the reason the agents pounced. She then shared the clip of the incident on her X account (archived): Noem's post had received 1.3 million views and 50,000 likes as of this writing. Others who posted, including the X account of the Department of Homeland Security (archived), further relayed the claim that Padilla hadn't identified himself before he was tackled. Although video of the incident was recorded on more than one phone camera, the existing recordings aren't clear or complete enough to confirm whether he did or didn't identify himself at the outset. Fox News streamed the briefing live from a federal building in Los Angeles. Five minutes into that video, the camera turns to the right side of the room to film Padilla being pushed away from the stage where Noem is standing: As the agents remove him, Padilla is heard clearly stating "I am Senator Alex Padilla" and attempting to ask a question. Noem continues speaking without acknowledging the interruption, allowing the men to take Padilla out of the room and into the adjoining corridor, where he was pushed to the ground and handcuffed. NBC reporter Jack Soboroff shared a video shot closer to Padilla (archived): Again, however, the incident occurred very quickly and it isn't possible to determine from these videos exactly what Padilla said before he was grabbed by the security detail. We contacted Padilla's team asking if he had identified himself before stepping to the side of the press pool, near the wall, and walking up to the stage to address Noem directly. We asked if there was any possibility Noem and her security team were confused about who Padilla was. In a phone interview, a spokesperson for Padilla — who was present during the incident and had filmed the video Soboroff shared — provided more context. The senator's aide told Snopes Padilla did identify himself once before he was pushed away from the stage. Later, in other interviews, Padilla provided more context about his presence at the press briefing. He also disputed claims that he had not identified himself. He explained he had sought to meet Noem and other DHS officials for weeks before this incident, to no avail. He said he had obtained approval from DHS to access the same federal building where the press briefing occurred. He was scheduled to meet there with "representatives of the Northern Command," including Gen. Gregory Guillot, according to Padilla's spokesperson. That briefing was going to be delayed as some of those who were to take part were in fact in the room where Noem was speaking. The whole floor was locked, the spokesperson said, adding they had to be escorted to the bathroom. Padilla said when he became aware that Noem was holding a news briefing, he asked to attend and was escorted by a member of FBI personnel and a staffer of the National Guard to the room where Noem was speaking. FBI agents standing outside the room let him in. "It's unfathomable to me that they didn't know who he was," Padilla's spokesperson said. Minutes later, according to the spokesperson, Padilla walked up to the stage and introduced himself, seeking to ask a question. When the security agents began to push Padilla, the spokesperson immediately started recording a video. Padilla can be heard introducing himself a second time on that video, the aide said. In the NBC interview, Padilla added that while he was not wearing his Senate security pin, he was wearing a shirt with the logo of the Senate, which he suggested should have left no doubt about the political office he holds. Padilla was then pushed into the hallway, pushed to the floor and handcuffed, all of which appeared on the staffer's video. Another agent then reached over and put his hands on the phone to stop the recording. They were escorted down the hall with Padilla in handcuffs. ABC7. "New Video Shows Sen. Alex Padilla Forced to Ground, Handcuffed during DHS Press Conference in L.A." YouTube, 12 June 2025, Accessed 13 June 2025. Fox News. "Secretary Noem Holds Press Briefing on LA Riots." YouTube, 12 June 2025, Accessed 13 June 2025. Macht, Daniel. "California Sen. Alex Padilla Removed from Press Conference with Homeland Security Secretary, Forced to Ground and Handcuffed." KCRA, 12 June 2025, Accessed 13 June 2025. Nnamdi Egwuonwu. "Sen. Alex Padilla Disputes Trump Administration's Account of His Forcible Removal at a DHS Event." NBC News, 12 June 2025, Accessed 13 June 2025. Pod Save America. "Alex Padilla Shuts down Trump's Lies after Being Tackled by Federal Agents." YouTube, 12 June 2025, Accessed 13 June 2025.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-megachurch founder hit with $1M lawsuit claiming sexual abuse and elaborate cover-up scheme
A former Texas megachurch pastor is being sued by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted and abused her when she was 12 years old. The suit, filed this week in Dallas County District court, accuses Gateway Church founder Robert Morris and others of libel, malice, defamation, slander, failure to report, civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unjust enrichment. They are seeking more than $1 million in damages. High School Teacher Charged With Sexually Assaulting Former Teen Student At Her Home Cindy Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed the suit less than a year after sharing the allegations with a religious watchdog blog, The Wartburg Watch. Cindy, 53, claimed she met Morris in 1981 while he was preaching at her church in Oklahoma and their families became close. Read On The Fox News App Diddy Accuser Sues Harvey Weinstein For Sexual Assault She said Morris touched her inappropriately while staying at her house in 1982, and continued for the next four-and-a-half years. An Oklahoma grand jury in March indicted Morris on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. He is currently out on bond. In the newly filed suit, Cindy alleges Morris' wife, sons and church members attempted to cover up the abuse for financial gain, according to a report from affiliate FOX 4. Swiss-born Liberal Megadonor Slapped With Lawsuit For Allegedly Groping, Sexually Harassing Winery Employee "[The] defendants acted in concert, cooperated with each other and conspired to maximize their profits through their unlawful and unjust course of action to fraudulently conceal and cover up the rape of Plaintiff," according to court documents. Morris resigned in June 2024 and later filed a lawsuit against the church, stating his "highly inappropriate" relationship with a minor was not a breach of contract, and Gateway Church should fulfill its contractual financial obligations to him. Church officials said he would have received millions in deferred compensation, additional retirement benefits and a severance payment, according to the report. Gateway Church declined Fox News Digital's request for article source: Ex-megachurch founder hit with $1M lawsuit claiming sexual abuse and elaborate cover-up scheme
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Democrats cash in after Padilla forcibly removed from Trump admin press conference
The forcible removal of Sen. Alex Padilla of California – as he attempted to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a news conference – instantly made national headlines. But Thursday's incident, in which Padilla was handcuffed and briefly detained by officers as he aimed to speak out in opposition to Trump administration immigration raids that sparked unrest in Los Angeles and smaller protests across the country, may also pay off for the senator and fellow Democrats. Padilla, along with fellow California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), on Friday sent out fundraising emails to supporters highlighting the incident. Senate Shaken: Bipartisan Worries After Incident Involving California Democrat "If that's what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they do to farm workers, day laborers, cooks, and the other nonviolent immigrants they are targeting in California and across the country," Padilla said in his email to supporters, repeating his remarks from Thursday following the incident. Schiff, in his fundraising email, called Padilla "one of the most decent people I know." Read On The Fox News App Padilla Cuffed, Mciver Indicted: Can Congress Come Back From The Brink? And the DNC charged that the senator's forced removal was one of the Trump administration's "steps toward authoritarianism." Videos of the incident showed Padilla attempting to walk up to Noem while she was speaking at a podium during a press conference. Padilla simultaneously attempted to shout over Noem, but law enforcement stepped in and forcefully stopped Padilla's advance. Padilla was eventually taken to the ground and handcuffed, the videos showed. Fox News reporters who were present at the news conference said Padilla appeared to be detained for a period of time. Democrats quickly united in support of Padilla and condemned the Trump administration, while some Republicans accused the senator of grandstanding. The incident came amid a week of protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at the Trump administration's direction. The president sent in National Guard troops and even mobilized Marines in an attempt to quell the unrest. Trump is also fundraising off the unrest in Los Angeles. The Trump National Committee JFC, which is one of the joint-fundraising committees set up by then-former president during his successful 2024 campaign to win back the White House, sent out a fundraising email on Thursday. "The American Homeland is under attack! Cities across the country are on FIRE! Radical Lunatics in masks are HURLING CINDER BLOCKS at our great Cops and Troops! President Trump will not allow it," the email article source: Democrats cash in after Padilla forcibly removed from Trump admin press conference
