Texas authorities said Thursday that a man was arrested this week after he was found to be transporting 16 illegal immigrants hiding behind a “fake wall” inside a cargo trailer.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Anthony Johnson, of Houston, was driving a Ford F-250 while towing a cargo trailer on State Route 77 in Kennedy County on Monday.
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Texas authorities said a group of illegal immigrants was discovered hiding behind a false wall inside a trailer on Monday. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Authorities said Johnson was stopped by officers, told them he was driving for a friend, and then consented to a search of his vehicle. Body camera footage shows Johnson telling officers the limousine was being towed by a trailer.
Officers are using power tools to dismantle walls inside the trailer.
“There's someone over there,” one person can be heard saying to another.
Video posted by DPS shows people packed behind the wall.
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Illegal immigrants sit uncomfortably in the small space behind a false wall inside a trailer. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
“We're letting them out,” someone can be heard saying. “It's too hot.”
Several migrants can be seen emerging from behind walls holding bottles of liquid. Temperatures in the area reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, and it would have been even hotter inside the trailers.
Images from the hidden section showed people cramped inside with small overhead fans.
The migrants were apprehended and handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
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Johnson was arrested and charged with 16 counts of smuggling risk resulting in serious injury or death. The 16 illegal immigrants were handed over to the US Border Patrol.
