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Two human smugglers who were convicted of causing the deaths of 53 illegal migrants whom they were trying to sneak into the U.S. in a sweltering hot tractor trailer have been sentenced to decades in prison.
Felipe Orduna-Torres, 32, and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, were convicted in March by a federal jury for their roles in the June 2022 migrant smuggling tragedy near San Antonio, Texas, according to the Justice Department. The tragedy became the nation’s deadliest smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Friday, Orduna-Torres, who is in the U.S. illegally, was given two life sentences and an additional 20 years on a third count to be served consecutively.
Gonzalez-Ortega was sentenced to 87.5 years in prison, while both defendants were also fined $250,000 by Judge Orlando Garcia on Friday. Gonzalez-Ortega is in the U.S. illegally.
Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega were sentenced on June 27. (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas/Eric Gay)
DRIVER IN TEXAS MIGRANT SMUGGLING RUN THAT LED TO THE DEATHS OF 53 PEOPLE PLEADS GUILTY
“You will never see the light of day, such a shame. You could’ve been doing other things,” the judge said to the pair. “To people out there who are smuggling people, if there’s a death and an injury you will get sentenced for a very, very long time.”
The pair were sentenced after 66 migrants were packed into the tractor trailer without air conditioning as the temperature soared to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the migrants inside the trailer lost consciousness, while others clawed at the walls, trying to escape.
By the time the tractor trailer reached San Antonio, according to the evidence presented at trial, 48 migrants had already died. Another five migrants died after being transported to local hospitals.
In total, 53 people died, including six children and a pregnant woman. The migrants were from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Chilling victim statements were read out in court, including from Marcos Antonio Velasco of Mexico, the mother of an 18-year-old victim.
“This is the greatest pain of my life… it will never go away… I can’t believe I had to bury my own son. It is like I am dead, even though I am living,” she said.
A woman cries as she visits a makeshift memorial at the spot where a tractor trailer was found with dozens of dead migrants inside. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega were charged with conspiring to transport migrants resulting in death, transporting migrants who died and transporting others who suffered serious injuries and were placed in grave danger.
Officials said it was part of a much bigger smuggling organization responsible for transporting more than 1,000 illegal migrants into the country.
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A third man, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, described as a leader of the smuggling ring, was recently extradited from Guatemala to face federal charges, including conspiracy and aiding and abetting smuggling resulting in death and injury.
He allegedly facilitated the fatal journey of at least three of the deceased migrants.
The tractor trailer was discovered June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
He had charged the migrants and their families around $12,000 to $15,000 for the perilous journey.
Five men previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in the smuggling case, including the truck driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., who was found hiding near the trailer in some bushes. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Several others have been charged in Mexico and Guatemala.
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Thousands of lives have been lost in recent decades as people attempted to cross the U.S. border from Mexico.
WATCH: The 53 migrant deaths in Texas
Ten migrants died in 2017 after they were trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.
Fox News’ Pilar Arias, Brooke Taylor, Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
