SAN ANTONIO — On Aug. 21, extensive coordination and collaboration between the Justice Department and its domestic and international partners resulted in a major enforcement operation that dismantled a human smuggling network based in Guatemala following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of its law enforcement partners. In June 2022, the network smuggled people into the United States on a journey that ended with the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. Twenty-one of the deceased migrants were Guatemalan.
This case is part of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was created by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen U.S. enforcement efforts against human smuggling emanating from Central America.
On Aug. 21, Guatemalan law enforcement executed multiple search and arrest warrants across Guatemala, working together with U.S. law enforcement agents. At the request of the United States, Guatemalan authorities arrested Guatemalan national Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, who has been indicted in the Western District of Texas in connection with the investigation. Six individuals arrested as part of the operation will be charged locally in Guatemala.
Miranda-Orozco, 47, whose indictment was unsealed Aug. 22, allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of four migrants from Guatemala through Mexico, and ultimately, to the United States. He allegedly charged the migrants, or their families and friends, approximately $12,000 to $15,000 for the journey. The indictment alleges that three of these migrants perished in the tractor trailer and the fourth suffered serious bodily injury. Miranda-Orozco is charged with six counts related to migrant smuggling resulting in death or serious bodily injury. He faces up to life in prison.
“HSI is deeply immersed in the global fight against human smuggling that includes our international operations within Central and South America. These arrests reflect the disruption of Central American human smuggling organizations that recruit, organize and transport people,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. “Combating this prolific, transnational crime is one of our top priorities. Our special agents and criminal analysts are actively engaged with law enforcement partners and task forces around the globe working to dismantle criminal networks that treat human life like a commodity. HSI will keep exhausting every resource available to bring human smugglers to justice.”
The human smuggling organization allegedly loaded 65 migrants into a tractor trailer, which court documents allege lacked functioning air conditioning as it drove north on a Texas interstate. As temperatures rose, some of the migrants inside the trailer allegedly lost consciousness, while others clawed at the walls, trying to escape. By the time the tractor trailer reached San Antonio, the indictment alleges, 48 migrants had already died. Another five migrants died after being transported to local hospitals. Six children and a pregnant woman were among the deceased.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas has charged seven other defendants for their alleged involvement in this smuggling event, including through indictments filed in 2022 and 2023. Four of the seven defendants have pleaded guilty.
The indictment against Miranda-Orozco and the cooperation between U.S. and Guatemalan authorities were spearheaded by JTFA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Given the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America with effects in the United States, JTFA’s goal is to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia and Panama with a focus on networks that endanger, abuse or exploit migrants, present national security risks or engage in other types of transnational organized crime.
“Smugglers prey on migrants and seek profits with complete disregard for human life, as we saw in this tragic incident that killed 53 people,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The men and women at Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection work every day to disrupt these sophisticated smuggling networks, and we will continue to work alongside our federal and international partners to dismantle them at every level of operation.”
“Over the past two years, the Justice Department has worked methodically to hold accountable those responsible for the horrific tragedy in San Antonio that killed 53 people who had been preyed on by human smugglers,” said Garland. “With these arrests, the Justice Department and our partners in Guatemala have now arrested a total of 14 people for their alleged involvement in this tragedy. We are committed to continuing to work with our partners both in the United States and abroad to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia and Panama.”
“In launching Joint Task Force Alpha three years ago, the Department of Justice directed every tool at our disposal to the dismantling of human smuggling networks across the continent. And after the tragic deaths of 53 migrants in June 2022, we pledged to hold accountable those responsible, no matter where they live or operate,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Today’s arrests in Guatemala are a continued fulfillment of that pledge. We will not rest in our efforts to disrupt the smuggling networks that capitalize on desperation and foster misery throughout the Western Hemisphere.”
“As alleged in the indictment, Miranda-Orozco recruited some of the migrants who died in the back of a tractor-trailer near San Antonio, Texas, in June 2022, and worked with a network of smugglers to transport them from Guatemala through Mexico into the United States,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This tragedy is a dire warning of the dangers that human smugglers cause by exposing migrants to life-threatening conditions for the smugglers’ financial gain. Dismantling human smuggling networks is a critical priority for the Criminal Division, and we will continue to work with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these cases, no matter where the offenders may be found.”
“This was a complex operation and a major success for the progression of this case — apprehending a key orchestrator of the horrendous smuggling operations in which families were charged thousands of dollars for trusted transport across the U.S. border from Guatemala and other countries,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza. “This significant development in the case demonstrates the commitment of this office, the Department of Justice and our partners at all necessary levels, to ensure all 53 migrants who died in the 2022 tractor-trailer tragedy get their justice.”
“The men and women of CBP are unwavering in their commitment to combat and dismantle the human smuggling networks that ruthlessly exploit and endanger the lives of migrants — from the time of this tragic incident in San Antonio, to today’s important step in bringing those responsible to justice,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller of the CBP. “Our collective work through Joint Task Force Alpha remains critical to our ongoing efforts at disrupting smuggling operations across the hemisphere and the world.”
HSI San Antonio investigated the case, with valuable assistance from HSI Guatemala and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. CBP’s National Targeting Center/Operation Sentinel; the U.S. Border Patrol; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the San Antonio Police Department; the San Antonio Fire Department; the Palestine Police Department, OIA, and OPDAT also provided valuable assistance.
HRSP Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion and Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas Jose Luis Acosta, Eric Fuchs, Sarah Spears and Amanda Brown are prosecuting the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall.
HSI San Antonio continues to address the serious public safety threat posed by human smuggling organizations and their reckless disregard for the health and safety of the people they exploit. To report suspicious smuggling activity, call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP. Callers may remain anonymous.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.