A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco, a Guatemalan national extradited to the United States, to 30 years in prison for his involvement in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 53 migrants in Texas in 2022. The migrants had been transported in a tractor-trailer without functioning air conditioning, enduring extreme heat during the three-hour journey from Laredo to San Antonio.

Miranda Orozco, 50, pleaded guilty to charges related to arranging travel and accommodations for two of the deceased migrants and another who sustained serious injuries. Prosecutors from both the U.S. and Guatemala described the sentencing as an important step toward justice in one of the deadliest smuggling incidents along the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to authorities, the trailer’s air conditioning system failed, causing suffocating conditions inside the vehicle that led to the fatalities. The migrants were enclosed in the trailer during the portion of the journey from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio, where the tragedy unfolded.

Miranda Orozco’s defense attorney, Alfonso Cabanas Jr., characterized the sentence as “very tough” and argued that his client was in Guatemala at the time of the incident. He stated that Miranda Orozco had no control over the transportation used or knowledge of the trailer’s malfunctioning air conditioning.

The incident highlights the continuing risks faced by migrants attempting to enter the United States through unauthorized channels and underscores the ongoing efforts by authorities to disrupt human smuggling networks operating along the border.