Truck found with dozens of dead immigrants passed through U.S. checkpoint, Mexican official says

A high-ranking Mexican official said on Wednesday that the tractor-trailer found with dozens of dead smuggled immigrants in San Antonio passed through a U.S. border checkpoint before the grim discovery was made.

Francisco Garduño Yáñez, the director of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration, made the claim at a press conference in Mexico on Wednesday, showing an image of the tractor-trailer at the border checkpoint. 

The mass death incident was found earlier this week, leading to shock around the world as officials announced a dizzying death toll of at least 53 people as of Thursday afternoon. 

Following the discovery, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he was directing Texas State Police to conduct their own border checks in an effort to shore up the reported gaps in the inspection system at the southern edge of the United States. 

“We want to step up and make sure that we will do more to better secure this area," Abbott said at a press conference on Wednesday. 

The U.S. Border Patrol operates dozens of checkpoints along the southern U.S. border, though many of them are located miles away from the border itself rather than directly where a crossing might occur.