SCHERTZ, Texas – Ten undocumented immigrants were discovered in the cab of an 18-wheeler in Selma Wednesday morning, Selma Police Cheif Dave Padula told KSAT.
The discovery was made after Selma police received a call for a suspicious vehicle from a concerned resident who “reported that they saw a suspicious truck they had never seen before."
Upon inspection, Padula said the back of the trailer was empty but he told KSAT that 11 people were found in the cab of the 18-wheeler, including the driver.
Of the 10 undocumented immigrants found in the cab, nine are men and one is a woman.
55 people, some minors, found in tractor-trailer in North Side neighborhood
The people all appear to be in their mid-30s to 40s and, according to Padula, “nobody is in need of medical attention and everybody appears to be healthy.”
This is "rare for Selma but things happen everywhere” said Padula, noting he has never experienced this type of case in his time with the Selma Police Department.
SPD is assisting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with the investigation.
“That’s a little bit outside of our realm of expertise," Padula said.
The country of origin of the undocumented immigrants isn’t currently known.
Selma police took all the people back to holding cells at the Selma Police Department to await federal immigration authorities rather than waiting outside due to the cold weather.
In June 2018, a total of 55 people, including minors, were discovered in a tractor-trailer in a North Side neighborhood.
Nina Pruneda, ICE Spokeswoman, sent the following statement:
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) responded to call from Selma Police Department regarding a possible human smuggling event. No further details are being released as the investigations continues.”