Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector rescued 22 illegal immigrants who were locked in the back of a box truck. The agents made the discovery at a Border Patrol checkpoint located between Laredo and San Antonio on Interstate Highway 35.

Agents assigned to the checkpoint observed a box truck approaching the inspection station. The agents became suspicious after questioning the driver and referred him to the secondary inspection station. During the inspection, agents discovered 22 illegal immigrants locked in the back of the truck, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

In many cases like this, the migrants are found to be overheated and dehydrated. These migrants were lucky. All appeared to be in good health, officials stated. The 22 illegal immigrants came to the U.S. via cartel-connected human smugglers. They arrived from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

“These criminal organizations view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety,” Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta said in a written statement. “The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and prosecute those responsible.”

Authorities identified the driver of the vehicle as a U.S. citizen. They did not release his name. The driver will likely be prosecuted for human smuggling.

Crossing into the United States illegally can be very dangerous, officials stated. “Our Border Safety Initiative (BSI) is a humanitarian, bi-national strategy designed to reduce illegal alien deaths, educate and inform potential illegal aliens of the dangers and hazards of crossing the border illegally, and to respond to those who are in life-threatening situations,” the statement concluded.

On February 22, Breitbart Texas reported that Border Patrol agents and local sheriff’s deputies recovered the skeletal remains of four illegal immigrants who attempted to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints in Falfurrias and Sarita, Texas.

“It is hard to determine how long these people lay in the fields after they died,” Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez told Breitbart Texas. “Between the harsh climate, animals, and insects, a body decomposes to skeletal remains very quickly down here. The medical examiner should be able to help with establishing a better time of death.”

“These smugglers have no regard for human life,” the sheriff continued. “When a person gets sick, injured, dehydrated, or otherwise can’t keep up with the pack, the smugglers simply leave them behind to die.”