Guatemalan man sentenced to 30 years in migrant-smuggling case

Rigoberto Ramón Miranda-Orozco was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on October 20, 2026, for his role in a migrant-smuggling case that killed 53 people in Texas in 2022. The 39-year-old Guatemalan national had pleaded guilty to three offenses involving smuggling resulting in death or serious bodily injury, the Justice Department said. The charges included conspiracy to bring a person into the United States resulting in death, aiding and abetting that offense resulting in death, and aiding and abetting it resulting in serious bodily injury. Miranda-Orozco pleaded guilty on July 2, 2026. He was extradited from Guatemala to the United States in March 2025 after Guatemalan authorities arrested him in August 2024 on a U.S. request. According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, Miranda-Orozco admitted arranging migrants’ transportation and accommodation in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. Prosecutors said he was personally responsible for travel arrangements for two Guatemalan clients who died. A third client survived with serious injuries after a lengthy hospital stay, the department said. His lawyer, Alfonso Cabanas Jr., said Miranda-Orozco was in...