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Juan Manuel Sifontes-Sinales, a 36-year-old Cuban citizen, appeared this Monday before U.S. District Judge Jason B. Libby in the federal court of Corpus Christi, accused of bringing and harboring individuals present illegally in the United States, according to local media MyRGV.com, citing a criminal complaint.
The arrest occurred in the early morning of Friday, October 18, around 3:35 a.m., when Border Patrol agents stopped a white 2012 Freightliner Box truck at the Sarita checkpoint in Texas.
The driver presented a Texas driver's license and an employment authorization card that certified him as a Cuban citizen.
During the inspection, the agents decided to send the vehicle for a secondary check to verify the driver's immigration status, who had the refrigeration unit running, claiming to be transporting fresh fruit to Houston, where he planned to sell it to small merchants.
However, an inspection with the X-ray system, known as Back Scatter, revealed anomalies in the cargo area. The agents moved the truck to an impound lot and, upon examining it, discovered a false wall constructed with wood, plywood, fiberglass panels, and aluminum, secured with metal screws.
Upon removing the layers of material, agents found a small access door that led to a compartment approximately 2.4 meters high, 1.2 meters wide, and 2.4 meters long, where 19 people were standing, without food or water, according to the report cited by El Mañana de Reynosa.
The migrants, coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, were arrested along with Sifontes-Sinales. One of the rescued individuals told authorities that she felt "very concerned for her safety," as the space lacked ventilation and there was no way to escape from the compartment.
The investigation also revealed that Sifontes-Sinales entered the United States on September 9, 2022, through Miami International Airport, using a valid Spanish passport and a visa waiver that allowed him to stay temporarily as a visitor.
Three days later, his residency permit was revoked, but the Cuban remained in the country, exceeding the allowed time and becoming irregular, according to court documents.
After his initial appearance, the case was placed under the jurisdiction of the federal court in Corpus Christi, where Sifontes-Sinales could face severe prison sentences if found guilty of the charges of trafficking and harboring migrants.
The incident adds to a growing wave of human smuggling cases in South Texas, one of the most active routes for trafficking people into the United States, where dozens of migrants risk their lives each year in extreme conditions inside sealed vehicles or refrigerated trailers.
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