A migrant was found dead inside a locked train car near Knippa, Texas, after U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered the body along with another individual inside an autorack car on September 11. Homeland Security Investigations, part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is now investigating the death. The discovery marks the fourth time in recent weeks that migrants have been found trapped inside locked rail cars on the same railroad siding.
The deceased migrant and the second individual found alongside them were discovered on September 11 at the Knippa rail siding, according to Customs and Border Protection information cited by WGNO. Knippa is an unincorporated community in Uvalde County that sits along U.S. Highway 90 and the main Union Pacific railroad line, roughly 70 miles west of San Antonio and 60 miles northeast of the Eagle Pass border crossing, which makes its siding a recurring inspection point for trains moving inland, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
A Pattern That Keeps Repeating on the Same Siding
Just five days after the fatal discovery, Del Rio Sector agents encountered four more migrants locked inside a freight car by smugglers on September 16, again at Knippa. A Border Patrol canine alerted Uvalde Station agents to an autorack car, and agents freed four individuals trapped inside — three Mexican migrants and one Chinese migrant — who were taken to the Uvalde Station for processing, the station's report notes.
That rescue followed two earlier incidents at the same siding. On September 7, a Border Patrol canine unit found three migrants locked inside a stationary freight train car; the same report indicated the trio were concealed inside the beds of pickup trucks loaded onto the autorack, according to FOX 26 Houston. And on August 30, a canine unit alerted agents to a locked autorack containing eight migrants, including a child, while outdoor temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit, as reported by Texas Border Business.
Officials Describe Smugglers' Disregard for Life
Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott” Good said criminal alien smugglers have no regard for human life. Freight-car doors are locked externally, leaving migrants trapped inside without food or water for an indefinite amount of time once sealed in.
“Smugglers only care about the money they can gain by exploiting vulnerable people,” Good said, describing the financial motive behind repeatedly using the same tactic despite its lethal risks. The pattern is not new to the corridor: in March 2023, two Honduran men died and 10 other migrants were hospitalized after 12 migrants were found inside locked Union Pacific train cars near Knippa in a prior rail-car rescue, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down U.S. Highway 90 so emergency medical helicopters could land, according to Texas Public Radio. Federal prosecutors in Del Rio later charged Honduran foot guide Denniso Carranza Gonzales with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, after he admitted to guiding migrants from Piedras Negras, Mexico, onto Union Pacific train cars in Eagle Pass, per the San Antonio Express-News.
Beyond Freight Cars: Migrants Also Found in Water Tanks
On September 14, U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued four migrants from a portable water tank located in the back of a pickup truck in Eagle Pass.
Under federal statute 8 U.S.C. § 1324, commercial alien smuggling carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, rising to 20 years if the offense endangers life or creates a substantial risk of serious injury, and up to life imprisonment or the death penalty if the act results in death.
Rail Smuggling in South Texas
Rail-based smuggling has also occurred in South Texas. The Del Rio Sector routinely records more than 900 search-and-rescue operations in a single fiscal year, according to federal data. Environmental heat exposure is a leading environmental cause of border deaths generally. Migrants have been found trapped inside locked rail cars at Knippa, underscoring the risks of these incidents.
The Del Rio Sector routinely records more than 900 search-and-rescue operations in a single fiscal year, per Customs and Border Protection data. Environmental heat exposure is a leading environmental cause of border deaths generally. Migrants have been found trapped inside locked rail cars at Knippa, underscoring the risks of these incidents.
