U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials revealed that a second accident involving 19 suspected illegal aliens occurred this week at approximately the same time and place as a mass casualty crash happened that resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people, all believed to have illegally entered the U.S.
The two separate critical incidents happened during the early morning hours on Tuesday when two SUVs entered a 10-foot hole that had been cut in an old section of border fence, which was not part of former President Donald Trump’s wall.
The first accident temporarily garnered national headlines as one of the SUVs, a Ford Expedition carrying 25 people, collided with large tractor-trailer, killing 12 people instantly. Another individual later died at the hospital. The other 12 individuals were all transported to local hospital with injuries ranging from serious to critical, based on initial reporting. CBP said in a statement that “all are suspected to have entered the U.S. illegally.”
The second vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, was found in a nearby area “engulfed in flames on the U.S. side of the border,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Nineteen people were found hiding in the bushes near the crash and federal law enforcement officials determined “they had entered the country illegally through the breach in the border fence.” USA Today reported that the Suburban “carried” the 19 people before catching fire approximately 30 miles after crossing the border.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced shortly after the mass casualty accident that they had opened up a human smuggling investigation.