They rescue 69 undocumented immigrants from a mobile home in New Mexico

Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar / Getty Images

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents worked in conjunction with the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) VICE Unit to rescue 60 people who remained inside a mobile home deprived of their liberty. New Mexico officers arrested a man for human smuggling on 35 November.

A man identified as Rolando Joaquín Miguel, 35 years old, an undocumented citizen of Guatemala, is charged with human smuggling and hostage taking in New Mexico. Authorities reported that the subject is being held without bail pending judicial proceedings in federal court.

The victims were found crammed into a mobile home in southeast Albuquerque. The group consisted of 58 adults, six women and five unaccompanied minors, all from Guatemala, in addition to a woman from Mexico; two women from El Salvador; and two men, plus one from Ecuador and another from Honduras. All migrants had between 14 and 54 years of age, informed the authorities.

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“Thanks to the outstanding work of HSI and our local partners we were able to rescue these people who were being treated as merchandise and victimized for profit” , said Francisco B Burrola, Special Agent in Charge of HSI El Paso, through a statement.

“HSI will continue to work aggressively to combat these heinous crimes and will prosecute the individuals and transnational criminal organizations involved,” he said.

Detectives from the APD Central Narcotics Unit and an officer from the APD’s Southeast Area Command proactive response worked with the VICE Unit to identify the vehicle on the 085031 block of Southeast Zuni Road where the group was detained. po.

The officers who guarded the hideout noticed how people delivered large amounts of food to take away. The undocumented non-citizens are believed to have been at that location between one and 14 days.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said: “Our detectives worked quickly to respond to this tip and likely saved lives, which made this operation a success”.

And he continued: “ This is the second time our detectives have disrupted a large-scale people smuggling operation involving victims from Central America. I look forward to working with our federal partners to address this international criminal enterprise.”

HSI is the primary investigative arm of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational threats and crimes.