Border Patrol discovers migrants in refrigerated truck

Agents say trailer was chilled to 45-degrees

SALTON CITY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents say they pulled eight illegal immigrants out of a refrigerated trailer at the Highway 86 checkpoint.

Agents say a big rig hauling the trailer, also known as a "reefer," pulled through the checkpoint just before 1:30 Friday morning. Border Patrol says the driver's immigration check came back clean, but they say he was visibly nervous, so they sent him to secondary inspection.

Agents say they opened the trailer to inspect the cargo, and discovered eight illegal immigrants. They say the temperature was just 45-degrees inside the reefer. Border Patrol says, in spite of the cold, none of the migrants needed medical attention.

The driver was a U.S. citizen. Agents arrested him on federal human smuggling charges. Agents also took the migrants into custody. They included seven Mexican nationals; three women and four men, and a male Chinese immigrant.

Agents eventually expelled the Mexicans across the border. The Chinese migrant will be held until he can be sent to his home country.