SHOCKING pictures show the moment US Border Patrol agents in Texas found 33 migrants crammed into a U-Haul truck in 100F heat last week.
At least a dozen people were hospitalized with heat-related illnesses as agents revealed the group was "close to perishing due to excessive heat and lack of fresh air."
Border Protection said in a statement that they acted on a tip of suspicious activity near a McDonald's in Van Horn at around 10pm on June 10.
Agents approached a Dodge Journey and a U-Haul box-truck and freed 33 people from the vehicle.
Twelve patients were transported to regional hospitals while others were treated for symptoms of dehydration at the scene.
There were no casualties.
"Had our heroic agents not been able to free these trapped undocumented migrants, we could have seen 33 miserable deaths in this event," Border Patrol's Big Bend Sector Chief Sean McGoffin said in a statement.
"Smugglers do not care what type of misery they put people through as they take their money."
Homeland Security is now working to identify the smugglers involved in the case for prosecution.
It is not clear where the migrants are being kept or where they are originally from.
Agents have also not said when it is believed they entered the country.
It comes as 27 migrants were found crammed inside another U-Haul truck during a traffic stop near Laredo on Sunday.
Agents said the temperature inside the cargo compartment was a sweltering 106F.
They were all placed under arrest along with the driver and passenger, both US citizens, pending further investigation.
“Though human smugglers may try different ways to attempt to avoid detection, our agents remain vigilant and committed to our border security and national security mission”, Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Joe Biden's administration has been blasted for the huge spike in migrants illegally crossing the US border since he took office.
Data has shown tens of thousands made the journey in April and May compared to less than 100 who crossed in the last month of Donald Trump's presidency.
Trump blasted Biden on the border on Wednesday as he claimed "death and criminals" are "pouring into our country."
"I think the reason is they are watching what is happening with our country, they are watching no energy independence, never has there been a scene like what is happening at the border, and the death that is being caused," Trump said during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox on Wednesday night.
"This is not just border, this is death and criminals pouring into our country.
"They are looking at the economy and inflation, looking at interest rates and gasoline prices, and I guess it is making me very popular," Trump added as he hinted at a 2024 presidential run.
On Tuesday, Trump also announced a surprise trip to the border.
Republicans are slamming Vice President Kamala Harris for failing to visit despite Biden tipping her as his border czar months ago.
Harris embarked on her first trip as VP earlier this month to Mexico and Guatemala in an attempt to address the "root causes" of migration with the nations but did not visit the border from the US side.
She has maintained that she will eventually visit the border.
"I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nation's decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021," Trump said in a statement.
"The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in US history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in US history.
"It's an unmitigated disaster zone," he continued.
The former president said that the US went from having "border security that was the envy of the world" to a "lawless border" that is pitied around the world.
The Biden administration reversed several Trump-era policies meant to keep immigrants out in its early days.
This included lifting restrictions on green card applications, undoing a travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries, and reversing Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy.
Some feel that these changes have led more people to try to enter the US illegally.
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