Immigrants

The Guardian - As questions still swirl about the six people found dead inside a baking-hot railway car in Texas, immigration advocates warn that the US is about to enter the most dangerous season of the year for immigrants making the perilous journey over the southern border.

Early results shared by the Webb county medical examiner indicate that at least one of the six people found dead in the city of Laredo died from hyperthermia, which occurs when the body is overwhelmed by extreme heat. The same cause of death is likely true for the five others.

The group of six, who ranged in age from 14 to 56, were all from either Mexico or Honduras. Laredo is home to a popular land port teeming with trade activity between Mexico and the US, leading investigators to believe early on that the deaths were the result of smuggling.

As of this writing, investigators believe immigrants boarded the Union Pacific train near Del Rio, Texas, before becoming trapped inside a sealed railcar during the journey to Laredo.