11 People Indicted in Smuggling Deaths of Migrants Found in Sealed Rail Container in Texas

Federal prosecutors in Texas have indicted 11 individuals in connection with the smuggling deaths of seven migrants, including a 14-year-old boy, who were locked inside a sealed, unventilated shipping container on a freight train in May 2026. The victims, consisting of four Mexican and three Honduran nationals, died of heat stroke as temperatures inside the container soared. Nine suspects are in custody following a multi-agency operation, while two remain at large. The defendants face life in prison.

Migrant deaths in rail container

• ▪At least one migrant inside the shipping container sent a frantic message to a family member pleading for help before dying from the heat
• ▪Seven migrants, including a 14-year-old boy, died after being trapped inside a sealed, unventilated shipping container on a Union Pacific train in Texas
• ▪One migrant was found dead near the railroad tracks in San Antonio, while the other six victims were discovered inside the shipping container at a Union Pacific rail yard in Laredo, Texas
• ▪The seven victims of the smuggling incident consisted of four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals

Human smuggling via cargo trains

• ▪Smugglers charged migrants or their families between $1,500 and $10,000 to transport them into the interior of the United States
• ▪On May 9, 2026, smugglers used red bolt cutters to cut the lock off a Conex shipping container on a stationary Union Pacific train in Del Rio, Texas, and loaded seven migrants inside
• ▪The human smuggling organization operated from at least April 2023 through May 12, 2026, using cargo trains to transport migrants past U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints

Federal conspiracy indictments

• ▪Each of the two federal charges carries a maximum penalty of life in federal prison
• ▪The 11 defendants are charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death
• ▪The 11 indicted defendants include four U.S. citizens, two permanent U.S. residents, and five non-U.S. citizens
• ▪A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas's Del Rio Division indicted 11 individuals on July 22, 2026, in connection with the smuggling deaths

Multi-agency arrests

• ▪Nine of the 11 indicted defendants are in custody, while two suspects, Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, remain at large
• ▪Eight defendants were arrested during a multi-day Homeland Security Taskforce operation across central and south Texas
• ▪Defendant Mayra Alejandra Huerta was arrested on May 12, 2026, in Del Rio on an earlier charge of harboring migrants and has remained in federal custody

Heat stroke fatalities

• ▪The Webb County medical examiner suspected the seven migrants died of hyperthermia, or heat stroke, inside the airtight container
• ▪Outside temperatures on May 9, 2026, ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, while temperatures inside the airtight container were estimated to reach between 120 and 150 degrees