As temperatures reached the triple digits in San Antonio, dozens of undocumented immigrants were crammed into a semi-truck and forced to take turns breathing out of a single hole in the wall. Ten passengers were pronounced dead as a result of being in the truck and more than 30 other passengers were transported to local hospitals.
These immigrants were being smuggled across the U.S.
border by Floridian truck driver James M. Bradley Jr., 60, who claimed that he had no idea dozens of undocumented immigrants were inhumanely packed in his truck. Despite his claim, prosecutors have said that Bradley was trafficking immigrants for "commercial advantage of private financial gain." In addition, Bradley knew that the refrigeration system in the trailer bed was broken.
According to criminal complaints, he did not stop the truck when immigrants allegedly banged on the walls and shouted for help. Authorities have since charged him with one count of transporting undocumented immigrants.
Immigrants are risking their lives
Despite the disturbing description of the bodies found in the back of this tractor trailer, the state of Texas is no stranger to this type of horrific act. With Texas being on the border with Mexico, Human Trafficking cases of foreigners who risk their lives to come to America is all too common. Immigrants often take extreme risks in order to get to America. Some immigrants attempt to avoid checkpoints, and others might hide in the back of a truck -- as seen in this San Antonio case.
Just two weeks ago, twelve undocumented immigrants were found by police in the parking lot of a strip mall in Houston. Similar to the San Antonio case, these immigrants were found in an unventilated cargo truck.
Sadly, this is nothing new in Texas
According to a 2017 report done by the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault at the University Of Texas, there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas alone. Out of these 300,000, almost 79,000 of these victims are minors. While many undocumented immigrants put themselves through these grisly situations in order to be free in America, often these immigrants are kept and used for sex, forced labor, or domestic servitude.
The University of Texas conducted this lengthy study in order to expose the depths of the human trafficking crisis in Texas. While these numbers are obviously difficult to place, researchers at the university conducted interviews and used existing databases to achieve a close estimate.
While it is important that this San Antonio case has gained a considerable amount of coverage, these numbers show that it is important to consider countless other cases similar to this that often go unnoticed.
"This is a watershed study for our state," John Nehme, the CEO of Allies Against Slavery, told UT News in response to the study. "This research helps bring human trafficking out of the shadows: the men, women and children who are victims of trafficking in Texas are no longer invisible."