A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A federal jury in San Antonio says two men are guilty for the roles in the deaths of 53 migrants, including six children. It was the deadliest human smuggling incident in modern U.S. history. Texas Public Radio's Paul Flahive reports on Tuesday's verdict.
PAUL FLAHIVE, BYLINE: Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega face the rest of their life in prison for the deaths that took place in the back of a tractor trailer without air conditioning in the south Texas sun. The men were both found guilty of all charges, ranging from smuggling the people into the country to the overarching conspiracy that resulted in the migrants injuries or deaths. Migrants dying while being smuggled into the country have been found many times throughout the past decade, but this was especially egregious, says San Antonio immigration attorney Jonathan Ryan.
JONATHAN RYAN: It remains the largest single casualty event of its type in Texas and potentially in the United States - that is in terms of those who have been discovered.
FLAHIVE: The men are part of an international smuggling operation, federal prosecutors say. Five others have already been convicted or pleaded guilty - also facing potential life sentences. The case showed a vast network of human smuggling crossing multiple countries that have spurred other investigations and international indictments. After the verdict, federal prosecutor Eric Fuchs showed images from inside the sealed tractor trailer to reporters showing claw marks.
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ERIC FUCHS: Claw marks from when they were desperately clawing at the sides, trying to get out. You could see that insulation, the scraps of it, and how it's fresh right below the claw marks.
FLAHIVE: The people who died came from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. The tractor trailer in which they were found came from Laredo, Texas. Eleven people survived the devastating trip and are still in the United States with the opportunity to apply for U visas, which are given to noncitizens who are victims of some crimes. Orduna-Torres and Gonzalez-Ortega will be sentenced June 27.
I'm Paul Flahive in San Antonio. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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