A truck driver was arrested for allegedly transporting 115 migrants in Texas last week after being reported for suspicious activity.
Border Patrol Agents responded to a report of multiple people running towards a white tractor trailer near Killam Boulevard and Doc Adams Drive in Laredo, Texas at around 8:30 p.m. on March 17th. When agents arrived, they observed a white vehicle transporting multiple people to the location, but then driving away without them. The semi truck then left the area.
Agents then attempted to pull the semi truck over along the east access road of Interstate 35 but the truck did not stop. The driver took the entrance ramp and continued north on I-35 for about a mile before finally pulling over. A K-9 Agent then alerted to the possible presence of people or narcotics inside of the trailer, reported Houston Chronicle.
Agents then opened the trailer and discovered 115 migrants inside and took the driver, Joseph Emanuel Alexander, into custody. In a post-arrest interview, Alexander stated that a hispanic male in San Antonio had offered him a job to transport the rig from Laredo to Dallas for $350. Alexander had picked up the trailer from a service station on mile marker 144 of I-35.
“Alexander stated the doors were already sealed and he had the bill of ladings in his possession prior to arriving in Laredo. Alexander stated he never touched the rear of the tractor-trailer and did not verify the seals with the bill of ladings,” states the affidavit.
Alexander also told officers that he had not realized the agents were attempting to pull him over. He has been charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport migrants for private financial gain.