The driver of a trailer linked to the death of 53 immigrants near San Antonio, Texas, smiled at the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) camera, just a few hours before the bodies of the non-citizens were discovered.
A photo showing the driver of the vehicle, Homero Zamorano, took part of the body out the window and smiled in front of the car’s camera border checkpoint.
The 45 year-old driver, a resident of Pasadena, Texas, allegedly attempted to flee from authorities by hiding in the brush, but when discovered he pretended to be one of the immigrants, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said. He was drugged.
The photo of the moment when Zamorano crossed the border was shown at a press conference by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The Mexican president indicated that the trailer passed through two inspection points of the immigration authorities, but other reports indicate that the vehicle was not checked.
The trailer crossed the checkpoint in Encinal, Texas, at approximately 2: 48 pm, hour local Monday, according to reports.
The bodies were found Monday night, after calls to 911 of citizens concerned about the abandoned vehicle in the industrial zone.
The load was 64 undocumented immigrants , 53 of whom died –48 at the scene– and the rest are in serious condition in hospitals, including minors.
The accusations against Zamorano could lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty, indicated the prosecutors following the case.
CPB’s Laredo Sector also provided surveillance footage of the trailer crossing the border, according to prosecutors.
The tragedy is considered the largest involving immigrants, but it is not the first time that non-citizens die inside a truck, due to lack of ventilation and high temperatures.
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has criticized the immigration policies of the Joe Biden government and ordered the state security office to check all the trucks that cross the border, which will mean a deployment never Seen by officers and patrols.