Border Patrol agents last week found eight illegal immigrants suffering from heat exhaustion inside of a U-Haul van that a Texas law enforcement officer pulled over near El Paso, Texas, according to an agency statement issued Wednesday.

Three Brazilians and immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico were locked in the cargo area of the moving truck on a day where the external temperature had exceeded 100 degrees. One person was unconscious, while the other seven were suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

The group was treated at the scene by Emergency Medical Services then released into Border Patrol's custody.

"This was clearly a precarious situation, and could very easily turned life-threatening," said Big Bend Sector Chief Jesse Shaw.

Customs and Border Protection said the driver of the U-Haul and co-conspirators will likely face enhanced prosecution for putting the immigrants in a dangerous position, in addition to smuggling them across an international border.