Thread: 8 found dead inside tractor-trailer discovered in Walmart parking lot

by BOB PRICE
24 Jul 2017
San Antonio, TX
324 comments

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick put the blame for the deaths of 10 illegal aliens packed in the back of an 18-wheeler on sanctuary cities.

“[Sunday’s] tragedy is why I made passing Senate Bill 4 to ban sanctuary cities — which is now law — a top priority,” the Republican Lt. Governor posted on Facebook. “Sanctuary cities entice people to believe they can come to America and Texas and live outside the law. Sanctuary cities also enable human smugglers and cartels.”

Initially, eight people lost their lives from exposure to the heat and lack of water after human smugglers left 39 people locked in the back of a refrigerated trailer with a failed air conditioner. The death toll rose to nine later on Sunday and then to 10 early Monday.

“[T]hese people paid a terrible price and demonstrate why we need a secure border and legal immigration reform so we can control who enters our country,” Patrick wrote. “We continue to pray for the families and friends of the victims.”

Officials identified the driver of the truck as 60-year-old James Mathew Bradley, Breitbart Texas reported. He is a resident of Clearwater, Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. He is due in court Monday to face charges that will likely include murder and human smuggling.

Walmart employees became aware of the people being trapped in the trailer after one of the aliens approached them and asked for water. Police arrived at the scene shortly after midnight Sunday morning. At least 29 fire rescue units responded and two AirLIFE helicopters assisted in transporting the most critically ill patients.

Surveillance cameras showed a number of automobiles coming to pick up individuals in the trailer. Authorities suspect a human smuggling operation was underway.

Medical teams transported nearly two dozen people to local hospitals, including two 15-year-old males. All of the deceased illegal aliens are reported to be adult males.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...s-lt-governor/

by BOB PRICE
24 Jul 2017
San Antonio, TX

The Florida truck driver suspected in the deaths of 10 illegal aliens in the back of his trailer used for human smuggling could face the death penalty, if convicted.

James Matthew Bradley, Jr. stands charged with one count of transporting illegal aliens resulting in death. Police arrested the truck driver from Clearwater, Florida, at the scene following the discovery of the illegal aliens in the back of his truck. Officials declared eight of the foreign nationals to be dead at the scene. Two additional aliens died since the discovery raising the total number of deaths to 10. All are reported to be adult males.

A criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas reports that Bradley says he was unaware of the presence of the illegal aliens in the back of his truck until he heard them in making noise while he parked at the Walmart in San Antonio.

Investigators said, in the criminal complaint:

Bradley said he was traveling from Laredo to San Antonio, after having the tractor-trailer washed and detailed at a truck stop near Laredo. He intended to take the trailer to Brownsville to deliver it to someone who had purchased it. He stopped at the Wal-Mart and heard banging and shaking in the trailer.

Bradley told the investigators he was “surprised when he was run over by ‘Spanish’ people” when he opened the rear door. He said he was knocked to the ground as they illegal aliens rushed out of the sweltering heat of the trailer. He reportedly admitted knowing the refrigeration systems did not work and that the vent holes were blocked. He claimed to have called his wife after the aliens escaped. Records show he did not call 911.

Interviews with some of the surviving aliens by investigators from Homeland Security Investigations revealed the illegal aliens admitted to paying human smugglers for transportation. They said they came across the Rio Grande River illegally at various times and locations near Laredo. The smugglers packed them into stash houses while they awaited transportation to points inland in the U.S.

One of the aliens told investigators his group of 24 stayed in the stash house for 11 days. On Sunday, smugglers loaded the various groups into the trailer in Laredo. The aliens estimated the total number of “human cargo” in the back of the trailer to be anywhere from 70 to 200 people.

Bradley told investigators he had his trailer truck and trailer washed at a truck wash in Laredo. He later moved the rig to another truck stop where he reportedly had the tractor-trailer “detailed.” He disclosed his final destination to be Brownsville, Texas, where he was delivering the trailer to a new owner. The criminal complaint does not say why he would choose to go through San Antonio, a detour that adds more than 200 miles to the trip.

Bradley allegedly said he did not have a deadline for the delivery, nor did he have a delivery address.

One of the illegal aliens, a Mexican national, told investigators he paid smugglers $5,500 (USD) as a transportation fee to his final destination — San Antonio. He said he paid 11,000 Mexican pesos to Los Zetas-connected cartel members for protection. He paid an additional 1,500 pesos to smugglers who helped him cross the river on a raft. His group of 28 illegal aliens was picked up by a Silverado pickup truck and taken to the trailer. He said they were the last group to join the others already in the trailer.

The smugglers closed the door, locking the illegal aliens inside a pitch black trailer that was already oppressively hot. Smugglers told the aliens they would be transported later that night. They were provided no food or water by the smugglers, according to the criminal complaint.

At about 9 p.m., a smuggler opened the door and advised them they would be departing soon. The smugglers assured the victims they truck would be refrigerated and they would be okay. The illegal aliens were given different colored tape to put on their wrists to indicate who would be picked up by what smuggling groups later.

After about an hour into the journey, the alien being interviewed said many people began having difficulty breathing. They began pounding on the wall to get the driver to stop. He never did.

Some of the aliens found a small hole for ventilation. They took turns using the hole to breathe. When the truck eventually stopped, many people fell to the ground, he said, because they were weak.

When the doors finally opened, many people rushed out of the trailer. He said six black SUV were present to transport some of the aliens from the scene. Those SUVs quickly filled up and departed from the Walmart parking lot.

A second illegal alien told investigators smugglers held him for 11 days in a Laredo stash house. He said there were already 70 people in the trailer when his group of 24 joined the mix. He also reported San Antonio to be his final destination.

A third alien disclosed paying 60,000 pesos (approximately $3,300) for the Mexican portion of his trip. He and his brother crossed the border in Laredo and traveled for one day before being loaded into the trailer. He estimated nearly 200 people to be in the trailer when he got in. The man reported his final destination to be Minnesota.

An ICE official said, “Human smugglers have repeatedly demonstrated that they have absolutely no regard for human life.” The official said the smugglers attempted to maximize their profits by cramming more than 100 people to a tractor-trailer in “the stifling Texas summer heat.” The official said the actions by the smugglers led the the deaths of ten people and hospitalization of 29 more.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...andoned-texas/

ALL paid coyotes to be smuggled...ALL get loaded up and deported!

No free pass to stay...send them back to tell their harrowing story and tell others do NOT come to the USA

We will boot you OUT

Bill their country for ALL costs involved and the medical care!

This is THEIR President's fault...not the USA

Make YOUR country a sanctuary country for YOUR people...you dirt bags!

Survivor of deadly trailer trip to S.A. said Zetas Cartel helped people cross the Rio Grande

By Kelsey Bradshaw, mySA.com / San Antonio Express-News
Updated 3:11 pm, Monday, July 24, 2017


Photo: Eric Gay, AP


People close to the Zetas Cartel helped some immigrants cross the Rio Grande, according to one man who survived the drive inside a sweltering tractor-trailer from Laredo to San Antonio late Saturday.
Ten people who were inside the trailer have died and dozens were taken to area hospitals.

Details in a criminal complaint against James Matthew Bradley Jr., the 60-year-old trailer driver, give an idea of what transpired in the days leading up to the deadly drive to San Antonio.

RELATED: New details emerge about immigrants' deadly trip to San Antonio in sweltering trailer

The man told authorities he waited with a group of 28 other people to be smuggled into the U.S.

"He was told by the smuggler that people linked to the Zetas would charge 11,000 Mexican pesos for protection and 1,500 Mexican pesos to cross by raft since the river ran deep in that area," reads the complaint. "The money was collected and his group crossed the river by raft in three trips."

The 12,500 pesos is about equal to $700.

San Antonio law enforcement is at the scene where people were discovered inside a tractor trailer in a Walmart parking lot Sunday, July 23, 2017.
Media: 21 Pro Video

The man was one of dozens of immigrants being smuggled into the country via a tractor-trailer with a broken air conditioner late Saturday. A group of roughly 70 to 200 people were loaded into the trailer Saturday morning, where they sat in the dark heat until 9 p.m. when they departed for San Antonio, according to the complaint.

During the trip, the man told authorities the group banged on the walls of the trailer trying to get Bradley's attention.

Bradley told police he did not know there was a group of immigrants in his trailer.

He said he pulled over at a Walmart on San Antonio's Southwest Side around midnight to use the restroom when he heard noise coming from the back of the trailer. Upon opening the back of the trailer, Bradley said dozens of people flooded out and left in multiple SUVs.

Eight people were found dead at the scene and two more died in local hospitals.

Bradley has been charged with one count of transporting immigrants who are in the country illegally. He will attend a bail and probable cause hearing Thursday.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...ipid=artrecirc

by BOB PRICE
24 Jul 2017
San Antonio, TX

An illegal immigrant advocacy group attacked the San Antonio Police Department for calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they discovered a trailer full of dead and critically endangered illegal aliens early Sunday. The organization’s leader says the smuggling victims were further traumatized by the presence of ICE. She also blamed the deaths on the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.

The open borders and pro-amnesty group RAICES organized the vigil-turned-rally that turned-out about 100 supporters in downtown San Antonio at the San Fernando Cathedral Sunday evening, the Rivard Report reported.

Breitbart Texas reported that police initially found eight dead illegal aliens early Sunday in a tractor trailer parked in a Walmart parking lot. Two more men later died from the exposure to the heat and lack of water. Officials reported approximately 20 people as being in “extremely critical” or “very serious” condition when found, including juvenile children. Prosecutors charged the Florida truck driver suspected in the deaths related to the human smuggling incident. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The outlet reported that after they remembered those who died from asphyxiation or dehydration, the group’s community organizer, Barbie Hurtado, told those gathered that the immigrants died because of “corrupt governments” and “invisible borders.” The memorial service became a political rally against Texas’ new anti-sanctuary jurisdiction ban.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), the nation’s toughest anti-sanctuary city law in early May. Governor Abbott set passing the legislation as one of the year’s legislative session priorities.

RAICES set their sights on San Antonio PD for involving ICE because they say the department should have called non-profits such as their group, Catholic Charities, or the Rape Crisis Center. The Rivard Report wrote that Hurtado said these non-profits “could have ensured that the victims were not further traumatized by contact with ICE officials.”

“Their decision to involve ICE made them complicit in a larger systemic injustice,” Hurtado told the local media outlet.

RAICES distributed a press release that linked to a 2016 ACLU list of illegal alien deaths and injuries that allegedly occurred during encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents.

A spokesperson for the San Antonio PD reportedly responded that notifying ICE officials is standard protocol. They also said, “The care and welfare of the victims was our top priority.”

The website of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency says that it “promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees in Central and South Texas.” It also encourages people to adopt an illegal immigrant family to “Stop the Raids!” The group says it is trying to find lawyers for about 2,300 families.

The State Bar of Texas, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, VERA Institute of Justice, and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, are sponsors of the San Antonio-based group that has branches in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, and Fort Worth.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...g-deaths-case/

Official pledges to pursue, disrupt 'transnational criminal networks' in wake of 'horrific' incident

by Brendan Kirby | Updated 24 Jul 2017 at 6:51 PM

Reacting to the deaths of 10 illegal immigrants packed into a tractor-trailer that crossed the Mexico-U.S. border into Texas over the weekend, the top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official vowed Monday to crack down on smuggling networks.

According to law enforcement authorities, more than 100 people were inside the trailer after reportedly paying thousands of dollars to a smuggling operation; one man said he paid $5,500 for the one-way trip to America.

James Mathew Bradley Jr., 60, has been charged with illegally transporting immigrants for financial gain resulting in death. Authorities said they believe four of the passengers were between the ages of 10 and 17.

"By any standard, the horrific crime uncovered last night ranks as a stark reminder of why human smuggling networks must be pursued, caught and punished," acting ICE Director Thomas Homan said in a statement. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations works year-round to identify, dismantle and disrupt the transnational criminal networks that smuggle people into and throughout the United States."

Homan indicated that the tragedy brought back memories of investigating a similar incident in 2003, when 19 illegal immigrants died in Texas in 2003 because of the indifference of human smugglers.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said preventing tragedies like the one over the weekend requires more than enforcement.

"The most important thing is for the federal government and state governments alike to send a uniform message that illegal immigration is not tolerated," she said. "That's going to take a lot more than ICE enforcing the law."

Vaughan said it is important for law enforcement authorities to address the problem of illegal hiring. So far, there has been little evidence of increased scrutiny of employers. She said it also is important to follow through on vows to crack down on so-called "sanctuary" cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE. She said such behavior encourages illegal immigrants to believe they will be able to stay if they make it to America and that it will encourage risky decisions, such as paying human smugglers.

Vaughan said cutting off government benefits would also help. She said "often, state policy is not to ask" about immigration status when people apply for state-level benefits.

Enforcement coupled with other government policies work, Vaughan said. She said the illegal immigration population in Arizona dropped when that state passed a tough anti-immigration law that included a requirement that employers use the E-Verify system to ensure that they are hiring only authorized workers.

Census Bureau data indicate, Vaughan added, that the total illegal immigrant population dropped by about a million people from 2007 to 2009. She said part of the drop could be attributed to the economic downturn, but she argued that increased enforcement at the end of the George W. Bush administration and the beginning of the Barack Obama administration played a role as well.

"We've seen in the past, more than once in recent history, that when immigration enforcement was stepped up, the number of people trying to come here went down and the number of people living here illegally went down, not because they were deported," she said.

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/i...ught-punished/

The organization’s leader says the smuggling victims were further traumatized by the presence of ICE. She also blamed the deaths on the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.

Illegal immigrants were dying in situations just like this long before Trump was elected.

July 24, 2017 Daniel Greenfield



The Democrats have adopted illegal aliens as another political identity group. But the glamorization of illegal aliens conceals the serious risks to us and to them.

The death toll in what police called a horrific human trafficking case -- eight men died inside a sweltering 18-wheeler parked outside a San Antonio Walmart -- reached nine on Sunday.

A total of 39 people had been inside the tractor-trailer, including at least four teenagers, Fox 29 reported. Twenty people were taken to area hospitals in critical condition, and another eight had “less critical” injuries.

This is also what illegal migration looks like. It's ugly and criminal. And people die.

It's carried out for corrupt and greedy motives from the Dem politicians looking for a demographic boost to the smugglers looking for easy money to the illegals looking to cash in on America. It's not heroic or noble. It's not a civil rights cause. It's about money.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/2...iel-greenfield

Why any American would want any of these people who associate with smugglers, the drug cartels, who hide in trailers, sneak in to steal jobs and run drugs in our country is absolutely inexplicable. Get them out and keep them out. They are not only criminals, they are stupid criminals. You really want someone this crooked, dishonest and stupid working in your business? REALLY?? Well, I won't be buying any of your crap.

The truck started out with around 100. Some were able to run off and escape, while according to one of the survivors, 6 SUVs picked up a large group when they arrived. One was able to leave the trailer to go to the Walmart so it doesn't sound as though the trailer was locked.

Just one load of illegals, how many are making it through on a daily basis?