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Guatemalan man sentenced to 30 years for smuggling tragedy that killed 53 people in Texas
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- Rigoberto Román Miranda-Orozco, a Guatemalan man extradited to the US, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a 2022 human smuggling attempt that resulted in the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in Texas.
- Miranda-Orozco admitted to arranging travel and accommodations for some victims, with migrants paying up to $15,000 each for the dangerous journey.
- The trailer's air conditioning failed during the three-hour trip, causing migrants to suffer extreme heat; investigators found evidence of their desperate attempts to escape, including claw marks inside the trailer.
- Since the incident, nearly 20 people in the US and Guatemala have been convicted, including Felipe Orduna-Torres, who received a life sentence, with more defendants, including the truck driver, awaiting sentencing.
- The tragedy is one of the deadliest human smuggling attempts at the US-Mexico border, highlighting ongoing risks faced by migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America and Mexico.
