Driver hired to transport undocumented individuals

On October 25, at 11:35 a.m. New Mexico State Police reported discovering 27 individuals who were being held against their will inside a white panel van on Interstate 25 at milepost 146.

According to the state police report, the officer was heading northbound on Interstate 25 and conducted a traffic stop on a van with an upside-down registration plate. The van exited the 147 off-ramp into Socorro, said the reports.

The officer made contact with the driver Victor Jurado Aldavaz, 26, who stated he worked for a freight company but could not provide a driver’s license, insurance or registration. The officer asked the driver to open the back of the van, Aldavaz said told the officer he couldn’t because it was locked. The officer inspected the back and, through a one-inch crack, was able to look into the rear of the van and observed three hands holding onto the bar windows, said reports. The officer reported that the people in the van appeared to be held against their will.

The officer put Aldavaz and his front passenger in the back of patrol vehicle and Aldavaz pleaded with the officer not to call border patrol because he would be separated from his family and killed if he was sent back to Mexico.

According to reports, a Socorro County deputy and Socorro police officer arrived at the scene. The State Police was advised that an agent from Border Patrol was en route from Truth or Consequences. The officer observed the van did not have windows for air circulation. The occupants were advised they would be let out individually and instructed to write their names and sit on the sidewalk, said reports. The officer observed the van was hot and humid and the occupants were sweating and eager to get air. All the occupants were in a fetal position and there were no seatbelts. The officer asked if anyone was under 18 years old and one boy raised his hand and said he was 15. A total of 27 suspected undocumented immigrants were released out of the back of the truck. The officer reported that food and water were provided to all the occupants, and the border patrol agents arrived in vans, processed and transported individuals.

Aldavaz was cited with multiple crimes, and the van was towed by Leseburg Auto, said reports.

According to the Border Patrol Office of Public Affairs, they commonly find people crammed in vehicles in unsafe conditions. Transnational criminal organizations exploit migrants for-profit and often endanger their lives during the smuggling process, placing profit over the health and welfare of individuals.