OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:35 PM – Friday, June 27, 2025
Two human smugglers have been sentenced in connection with the deaths of 53 migrants discovered in the back of a tractor-trailer in Texas in 2022.
According to the Justice Department, Felipe Orduna-Torres, 32, and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, were convicted in March by a federal jury for their roles in the migrant smuggling operation near San Antonio, Texas.
On Friday, Orduna-Torres, a Mexican national who had been living in the United States unlawfully, has been sentenced to two life sentences and an additional 20 years on a third conviction — to be served concurrently.
Additionally, Gonzalez-Ortega, another Mexican national who had been living in the United States unlawfully, has been sentenced to 87.5 years in jail.
Judge Orlando Garcia fined both defendants $250,000 on Friday.
The tragedy marked the country’s deadliest smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities noted.
“You will never see the light of day, such a shame. You could’ve been doing other things,” the judge said to the pair. “To people out there who are smuggling people, if there’s a death and an injury you will get sentenced for a very, very long time.”
The case details revealed that 66 migrants had been crammed into a tractor-trailer lacking air conditioning, despite external temperatures approaching 100°F. Several individuals lost consciousness within the sweltering confines, while others desperately clawed at the trailer’s walls in a futile attempt to escape.
According to the evidence presented at trial, 48 migrants had died before the tractor-trailer even arrived in San Antonio. Another five refugees died after being taken to local hospitals.
A total of 53 individuals died, including six children and a pregnant mother. The illegals reportedly came from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
In court, victim statements were presented, including one from a mother of one of the now-deceased migrant victims.
“This is the greatest pain of my life… it will never go away… I can’t believe I had to bury my own son. It is like I am dead, even though I am living,” she said.
Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega have been charged with conspiring to transport migrants resulting in death, transporting migrants who died, and transporting others who suffered serious injuries and were placed in grave danger.
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