Container in fatal Texas migrant smuggling case originated in California, police say

The Brief

  • A California-originated freight container became a fatal trap for six migrants who were found dead of extreme heat inside a rail yard in Laredo, Texas.
  • The container departed Long Beach before traveling to Del Rio, Texas, where the victims—including a 14-year-old boy—were loaded inside as part of a human smuggling operation.
  • Federal agents are investigating the container’s full transit history and trying to determine why the victims were unable to escape the sweltering car.

LONG BEACH, Calif. A shipping container that originated in California became the focal point of a federal human smuggling investigation after six migrants were found dead inside the car at a Texas rail yard.

Authorities are tracing the container’s multi-state journey to understand how a commercial freight route was intercepted for a illicit and fatal human smuggling operation.

What we know:

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