Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers found 27 illegal migrants crammed inside a horse trailer Friday during a routine traffic stop in Hidalgo County.
When asked what was in the trailer, the driver, Jose Guadalupe Salinas, claimed that there were two horses — but warned the officers that they were “aggressive.”
After warning them, Salinas voluntarily opened the trailer and revealed the smuggled migrants who were “distressed and sweating profusely.”
Lieutenant Chris Olivarez posted a video of the traffic stop on X and wrote, “Troopers discovered 27 illegal immigrants crammed inside a storage area, distressed and sweating profusely. Three females were severely dehydrated and required medical attention due to extreme heat and no ventilation.”
#NEW:
5/24: A @TxDPS Trooper stopped a Ford F-250 towing a horse trailer on US-281 in Hidalgo County #RGV.
The smuggler, Jose Guadalupe Salinas from Palmview, Texas,… pic.twitter.com/FIzaZj8wU1
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 29, 2024
The 27 migrants, all Mexican nationals, were handed over to U.S. Border Patrol.
Border Patrol also took custody of Salinas, a Texas resident, and said they would be filing federal charges for the smuggling of persons.
