Law enforcement officers found 88 illegal immigrants inside the back of a tractor trailer police pulled over near Raymondville, Texas late Tuesday night.
State police stopped the 18-wheeler approximately 30 miles north of the international boundary as it was heading north on Highway 77 toward Corpus Christi.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the incident to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
Police received a tip of possible smuggling activity involving the truck. A state trooper was directed to pull the truck over and after doing so, asked the driver and passenger for consent to search the trailer, CBP told CBS-4.
After opening the truck and finding dozens of migrants, police immediately summoned border officials.
Department of Public Safety officials said some of the illegal immigrants attempted unsuccessfully to sneak out of the trailer through the roof escape to avoid arrest.
Willacy County Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Torres said nearly 90 people were found in the back of the truck. 86 were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion and dehydration. Two others were taken to local hospitals due to severe dehydration.
Those found in the truck were confirmed as being illegally present in the U.S. CBP identified them as Honduran, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Mexican, and Nicaraguan nationals.
The driver and passenger were arrested on unspecified smuggling charges, but their names have not been released
Willacy County EMS Frank Torres confirm over 50 undocumented immigrants found inside of a tractor trailer on Northbound Highway 77 near Raymondville. No report of injuries at the moment. @kgbt pic.twitter.com/wrDoLqtf5m
— Stephen Sealey KGBT (@StephenKGBT) May 23, 2018
