SAN ANTONIO – The deadly discovery of six migrants inside a boxcar in Laredo is raising new questions about whether enough is being done to detect human smuggling on trains before it turns deadly.
Authorities say the train originated in Long Beach, CA, before traveling to Del Rio, TX, where migrants were likely loaded inside. The train stopped in San Antonio, then continued to Laredo.
Mayor Victor Trevino told reporters the migrants were likely dead before arriving in Laredo, due to heat stroke.
The case started with sensor alerts, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
During a May 11 news conference, Sheriff Javier Salazar said investigators were looking at a sensor hit in Del Rio, where they believe a boxcar door may have been opened to load people inside.
He said investigators were also reviewing another sensor alert near San Antonio, which led to the discovery of another body on railroad tracks.
“At some point, there was another sensor hit here, indicating the doors were opened for whatever reason,” Salazar said.
Salazar said investigators believe the person found on Bexar County tracks may have been pulled or pushed out of the train around the time of the second sensor alert.
Using trains for human smuggling is not a new tactic.
A 2020 analysis from the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative shows that trains were the transport mode used for official border crossings 33% of the time. In comparison, trafficking routes passing through non-official border points used trains 15% of the time.
A long trip hidden in a boxcar can quickly become deadly. People trapped inside may have no ventilation, water or way to escape.
Experts say trains can be attractive to smugglers because rail lines do not always follow roads, trains often travel long distances between stops and rail yards can be difficult to monitor around the clock.
“This could be a place that traffickers would flock to,” said David Dunrud, who specializes in train technology with 3C Telemetry.
Dunrud said many rail cars already use GPS, but other sensors can go further. They are often used to protect cargo and prevent theft, but he said the same technology can also help flag possible human smuggling.
“There are other sensors to see if they’re loaded or unloaded, and obviously, some people do hatch detection,” Dunrud said. “Obviously somebody had the right sensor on the right hatch at the right time… You just want to improve your odds of that by getting more sensors on more rail cars in general.”
Rail companies do conduct their own inspections and security work.
Major railroads have police forces, patrol rail yards, investigate cargo theft and work with federal, state and local agencies. Rail companies also use technology such as GPS and sensors to protect cargo, identify theft and track movement across the network.
But border inspections are largely a federal responsibility.
Customs and Border Protection inspects cargo entering the U.S. at ports of entry, including rail shipments. CBP has also been upgrading rail scanning technology, including high-energy rail scanners at ports of entry.
Other detection tools are also being discussed.
Geospace Technologies has developed heartbeat detection technology that can be used to find people hidden inside vehicles. Colin Frazier, the company’s senior director of security, said the system is placed on a vehicle’s frame or chassis.
“The driver would get out of the vehicle, turn the engine off, and the sensors go in the frame or the chassis of the vehicle,” Frazier said.
The system listens for signs of a human heartbeat, then signals green if no human frequency is detected or red if someone may be inside.
Frazier said the process can be quick.
“We can process a truck literally in under a minute, about 50 seconds,” he said.
Frazier says the technology is widely used in Europe on passenger vehicles and cargo trucks, but it could have rail applications as well.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who is from Laredo, said he wants to speak with the Department of Homeland Security about what train inspections are currently happening at the border and whether more inspections or technology are needed.
“They used to do a lot of inspections at the border of trains, and I want to see what they’re doing now,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar said his concern is timing and the locations of these checks. By the time a train moves hundreds of miles into Texas, he said, migrants hidden inside may already be in life-threatening conditions.
Leaders in Laredo are also calling for more technology, including scanning tools and facial recognition, to help identify human smuggling cases before they become deadly.
City councilmembers approved a measure asking Cuellar to back them on this request and seek funding for it.
Rail lines are already collaborating for better inspection in Laredo.
The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway Company donated a Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System Integrated Rail 6500 system for use by CBP to scan and adjudicate cargo entering and exiting the United States last year.
It allows for 100 percent scans of all trains traveling through the port.
The deadly boxcar case is being handled by Homeland Security Investigations.
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The Webb County Medical Examiner determined the six people who were found dead likely died of heat stroke in the grueling temperatures.
The victims were from Mexico and Honduras.
