TUCSON, Ariz. — A truck driver is facing charges after federal authorities say he attempted to smuggle 33 migrants into the U.S. via a hot trailer through the Arizona desert.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the 37-year-old Mexican driver was arrested Tuesday shortly following the discovery of the migrants in a refrigeration unit that was turned off.
Officials say the interior of the trailer was nearly 100 degrees.
Border officials say the group inside the trailer included 12 juveniles from age three to 17, a pregnant female, and a convicted felon.
The White House tweeted Wednesday that border patrol agents "potentially saved lives" by stopping the truck along Interstate 19 in Nogales, Arizona.
The driver, whose name was not released, was charged with felony human smuggling.
