Photo: Emmanuel Zamora Uvalde County Constable Pct. 6
The Uvalde Police Department said that two migrants were found dead inside of a freight train near the U.S.-Mexico border. The department received a 911 call on Friday (March 24) afternoon reporting there "were numerous undocumented immigrants' suffocating' inside of a train car."
U.S. Border Patrol stripped the train and found 15 migrants inside two separate cars. Union Pacific said that 12 migrants were found inside of a shipping container on the train, while three others were located in a hopper car. The railroad company said that the two deceased migrants were in the shipping container. Of the other ten immigrants inside the container, four were airlifted to hospitals in San Antonio, and six were taken to local hospitals.
The train was stopped near the town of Knippa, which is about 100 miles from the southern border.
"We are heartbroken to learn of yet another tragic incident of migrants taking the dangerous journey," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said wrote on Twitter.
"I thank the Border Patrol Agents who responded to the scene and the HSI Agents who are supporting the investigation in Uvalde. We will work with the Uvalde County Sheriff's Office to hold those responsible. Smugglers are callous and only care about making a profit," he added in a follow-up tweet.