A Texas woman was arrested on Wednesday after troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) discovered 25 illegal immigrants crammed into the back of a box truck, hiding behind mattresses and within a crawlspace.
Silvia Patricia Santamaria, 43, of Houston, was detained and charged with 25 counts of human smuggling, according to DPS. She was later put into the Live Oak County Jail.
On Wednesday, shortly after 9:30 a.m., a concerned civilian approached a DPS trooper at a truck stop along Interstate 37 in George West, Texas, to report a small crash in the parking lot.
When the trooper questioned the driver of the white 2005 International box truck involved in the incident, later identified as Santamaria, she allegedly stated that she was going to Houston after picking up mattresses in Alton, Texas.
DPS stated that the trooper detected anomalies in Santamaria’s trip arrangements and requested permission to inspect the truck.
With the assistance of the George West Police Department, the trooper spotted 25 illegal immigrants attempting to hide behind 30 mattresses and in a crawl space within the truck’s wall, according to DPS.
DPS further stated that there was no ventilation inside the truck.
The group of immigrants consisted of 12 men, 12 women, and an 11-year-old child.
According to DPS, all of the migrants came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
The illegal immigrants were removed from the truck and medically evaluated before being turned over to the US Border Patrol.
In 2022, San Antonio officials discovered 51 dead immigrants in an abandoned tractor trailer.
At the time, officials believed the truck had been abandoned due to technical problems.
A city worker discovered the trailer after hearing a cry from inside it.
At least 46 migrants were discovered dead on the spot, and others died in hospitals.
