Local News
Ten suspected illegal aliens found in truck
Galen Scott
gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com
Two suspects were detained under suspicion of human trafficking Sunday after a citizen reported witnessing “hands, arms and fingers” emerging from a tractor-trailer traveling east on Interstate 20.
Shortly after noon, Hudson Oaks police officers located a truck matching a description provided by the caller. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, authorities found nine men and one woman inside the trailer, reports stated.
The driver and passenger of the truck, identified as a black male and female, were reportedly in the custody of law enforcement at the Parker County Justice Center Monday.
All 10 people in the trailer were presumed to be illegal aliens and taken to the Parker County Justice Center, reports stated.
Carl Rusnok, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, said the occupants of the trailer will likely be voluntarily returned to Mexico at the earliest opportunity.
The trailer transporting the 10 individuals through Hudson Oaks was described as old and the doors as loosely secured. Whether the people inside were voluntarily smuggled or victims of human trafficking remains unclear.
According to the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, smuggling is generally with the consent of the person or persons being smuggled, who often pay large sums of money. Once in the country of their final destination they will generally be left to their own devices.
Victims of human trafficking, however, are often lured with false promises of good jobs and better lives, and then forced to work under brutal and inhumane conditions. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, trafficking often involves exploitation of agricultural and sweatshop workers, as well sex slaves and individuals working as domestic servants.
In some cases, a person being smuggled may become a trafficking victim.
“From what I understand from the officers who were there, the occupants had not been let out, or the doors opened since they were picked up in El Paso,” Hudson Oaks Police Chief Ken West said. “Their hands were hanging outside the doors, but we don’t know what their motive was for that.”
The vast majority of people who are assisted in illegally entering the United States are smuggled, rather than trafficked.
In the nation’s worst ever smuggling tragedy, 19 people perished after the oxygen supply was consumed in the back of a tractor-trailer that was found at a truck-stop near Victoria, Texas, in May 2003.
The Hudson Oaks Police Department did not file charges against the driver or passenger of the tractor-trailer. Federal authorities will likely prosecute the case, as both trafficking and smuggling humans are federal crimes.
- Local News
-
-
Sweetheart Style show to include blast from the past
The Weatherford Chamber of Commerce’s annual Sweetheart Style Show is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center.
This is the fifth year for the event, and it’s taking on a new twist. -
Suspect nabbed in Watauga traffic stop
Parker County Sheriff’s Investigators have one man in custody in connection with an aggravated robbery case last week in Azle, in which a man was beaten with a pistol and robbed inside his residence.
-
Parker County Republican Women host Candidate Forum for County Offices
WEATHERFORD – The public is invited to a Candidate Forum for Parker County Offices at the monthly luncheon meeting of the Parker County Republican Women.
- Sheriff's Activity Call Log
- WPD Crime Report
-
2nd annual “All Star Kids” competition scheduled
WEATHERFORD – The Ninth Grade Center’s JV Jazz will hold their 2nd annual “All Star Kids” Beauty and Talent competition for children ages 0 through 18 years of age on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the NGC Auditorium on South Main.
- Local Military News
-
Girl scout food drive
Weatherford Girl Scout Troop #4821 will be conducting a Food Drive to benefit the Parker County Center of Hope beginning Monday and lasting through Saturday.
-
TOTS latest production opens Feb. 12
WEATHERFORD – Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford invites you to visit Fayro, Texas once again when the Futrelle Sisters return in "Southern Hospitality," written by Jones, Hope and Wooten and courtesy of Dramatists Play Service. Beginning Friday, Feb. 12, and running weekends through Feb. 28,
-
County Records
Marriages and deaths recorded from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2010
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sweetheart Style show to include blast from the past
