18-03-2025
Guilty verdicts in first trial of smugglers charged in 53 migrants' deaths
Two Mexican nationals charged in the deaths of 53 migrants — who perished in June 2022 in this country's deadliest smuggling incident — were found guilty on all counts Tuesday in a federal courtroom in San Antonio.
Neither Felipe Orduña-Torres nor Armando Gonzales-Ortega was accused of driving the vehicle that crossed the border and wound up on the outskirts of San Antonio on a broiling summer afternoon, with more than five dozen adults and children packed in a trailer with no water and little to no air-conditioning.
Instead, the two men were accused of conspiracy to transport illegal migrants resulting in their death. According to court records, they worked with smugglers in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico to move undocumented immigrants to destinations throughout the United States. Prosecutors said Orduña-Torres held the list of names of people to transport, while Gonzales-Ortega helped load people into the truck.
Both now face up to life in prison. Their sentencing is set for June 27, the third anniversary of the tragedy.
The migrants who died in the sweltering vehicle were from the same countries as the smugglers. The youngest was 13, the oldest 55. At least one was pregnant. Six were minors. Each had paid between $12,000 and $15,000 to be brought into the United States.
Eleven migrants survived the trek. Some testified along with law enforcement and witnesses during the trial, which began a week ago before U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia.
The tragedy came during a record migration influx across the Mexico border. Horrific details were laid out in the federal grand jury indictment against Orduña-Torres, Gonzales-Ortega and two other men.
'As the temperature inside the trailer rose, chaos ensued,' the indictment recounted. 'Some aliens screamed and banged on the walls for help. Others kicked and clawed at the sides of the trailer attempting to escape. Most eventually passed out, unconscious.'
Orduña-Torres and Gonzales-Ortega were arrested the following year and accused of working with four other individuals — sharing routes, guides and drivers, trucks and stash houses where the migrants would stay temporarily — to save money and minimize risk.
A homeland security agent wrapped up testimony Tuesday, showing texts sent from Orduña-Torres's phone to co-conspirators who've already pleaded guilty in the case. Geo locations pinged their cellphones to the same areas in which the operation took place.
Numerous other people are still awaiting trial. Driver Homero Zamorano Jr. is among those to have already pleaded guilty on a variety of charges. Zamorano, who was found hiding in the bushes as the grisly discovery was made, is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He faces life in prison.
