I know this story was previously reported, but it was from the perspective of Oklahoma authorities. This is a new article from the perspective of ICE.

Jan 16, 3:02 PM EST


ICE: Deadly Crash Involved Immigrants


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The passengers in a minivan that crashed on an icy highway during the weekend snowstorm, killing seven people, were mostly illegal immigrants being carried across the country, a federal immigration officer said Tuesday.

"This was a smuggling vehicle," said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Dallas office. "These people were being smuggled and transported illegally."

The van hit a patch of ice on Interstate 40, slid across the median and slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer rig early Sunday. Visibility was limited.

The driver of the van was among those killed.

"The question now is whether there is a larger smuggling operation behind this particular vehicle," Rusnok said.

The van was heading from Nogales, Ariz., to North Carolina.

Five other passengers were taken to the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City. At least one had been released and placed in federal custody, Rusnok said.

One of the survivors gave authorities a North Carolina address, but Rusnok said he did not know whether the man was a U.S. citizen. The Highway Patrol had reported that everyone in the van was a Mexican resident.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol on Tuesday identified two of the victims as the driver, Miguel Marquez-Vargas, 32, and Francisco Marquez-Vargas, 19, both of Acaxochitland, Mexico. Identities of the other five victims were not released because relatives hadn't been notified.

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