Fact Check: "Smugglers charged $12,000 to $15,000 per migrant for dangerous journey."
What We Know
The claim that smugglers charged between $12,000 and $15,000 per migrant is substantiated by recent court documents related to a tragic smuggling case in Texas. Two men, Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, were convicted for their roles in the deaths of 53 migrants found in a sweltering tractor-trailer in June 2022. According to court records, these smugglers regularly charged migrants or their families between $12,000 and $15,000 for their services (source-1, source-3). This pricing aligns with other reports on human smuggling costs, which often vary based on the route and conditions.
Analysis
The evidence supporting the claim comes from multiple credible sources, including court documents and news reports detailing the smuggling operation led by Orduna-Torres. These documents outline that the smugglers not only charged high fees but also engaged in extremely dangerous practices, such as transporting migrants in a trailer without air conditioning, leading to a deadly outcome (source-1, source-5).
The reliability of these sources is high, as they include direct court findings and reputable news outlets reporting on the case. The tragic nature of the incident and the subsequent legal proceedings lend further credibility to the claims made about the smuggling fees. Additionally, the context of the smuggling operation, which involved over 1,000 migrants and multiple trips, reinforces the assertion that such fees are common in the human trafficking industry (source-3).
Conclusion
The claim that smugglers charged between $12,000 and $15,000 per migrant for a dangerous journey is True. This conclusion is based on consistent evidence from court documents and credible news reports that detail the operations of the convicted smugglers, their pricing structure, and the perilous conditions faced by migrants during their attempts to cross the border.
