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17 Illegal Immigrants Found Locked In Semi At Edinburg, Texas Gas Station

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 04:35 PST, Aug 14, 2017

A total of 17 illegal immigrants were found locked inside an extremely hot semi-trailer parked at a convenience store in Edinburg, Texas. The illegal aliens had been locked inside the truck for at least eight hours before law enforcement officials found them on Sunday.

The 17 illegal immigrants hailed from multiple countries, according to comments Edinburg Assistant Police Chief Oscar Trevino made to local KGBT-TV reporters. The Texas law enforcement official said the illegal aliens hailed from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Romania. The Texas Flying J truck stop is located on Monte Cristo Road and is just a short distance across the Mexican border.

Two suspects believed to have been in control of the 18-wheeler have been arrested. The male and female suspected human smugglers are reportedly of Cuban nationality. None of the illegal immigrants rescued from the tractor-trailer reportedly required medical attention.

The Edinburg Police Department received an anonymous tip from an individual in Mexico claiming a loved one and several others were stuck inside a tractor-trailer at the Texas truck stop. Police officers knocked on all the semi-trailers parked at the Flying J until they found the one containing the illegal immigrants.

Once the people inside knocked back in response, the Texas law enforcement forced the doors open and rescued the individuals trapped in the sweltering heat. The Edinburg police officers at the scene purchased water and pizza from the truck stop for the illegal immigrants after the rescue.

Agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency traveled to the Flying J truck stop to assist the Texas police and are currently investigating the case, Fox News reports. Edinburg, Texas is the seat of Hidalgo County. It has a population of about 2 million people, according to the city’s official website.

Less than one month ago, 10 illegal immigrants died after being locked inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. Two of the individuals were rescued from the truck but died a short time later at a Texas hospital.

Several of the illegal aliens who were also stuck in the same truck survived after receiving medical treatment. The driver of that 18-wheeler, James Matthew Bradley Jr., 60, currently faces felony charges in relation to the 10 deaths.

[Featured Image by Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock]

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